Tributes to Martin Mcguinness, Former Deputy First Minister
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Tributes to Martin McGuinness, Former deputy First Minister 22 March 2017 Tributes to Martin McGuinness, Former deputy First Minister Mr Speaker: Members will have been saddened to learn of the passing of the former deputy First Minister Mr Martin McGuinness. Therefore, I considered it appropriate to invite Members to gather here today so that they might have an opportunity to pay tributes and offer condolences. This opportunity is not a sitting of the Assembly. After I have paid my own respects, I will invite Members to pay their respects. The Chamber is often the scene of the cut and thrust of political debate, when the focus is solely on our differences. However, my predecessor, Mitchel McLaughlin, put it well when marking the passing of Lord Bannside. He said: "no matter about the heat of the political disagreements that we have in this House or elsewhere, ultimately, we are all made of the same flesh and bone." It is unfortunate that it is often only in illness or death that we take a step back to reflect a broader perspective on the contribution made by colleagues. As a Member, Minister and deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness was an integral part of this institution since its inception in 1998. Many Members have sat in the Chamber during that period but few have demonstrated the same level of commitment to the Assembly. Indeed, without Martin McGuinness, it is questionable whether there would be an Assembly. It was important, therefore, to find a way to ensure that Members could gather to pay their respects and express condolences to the wider McGuinness family. On an occasion such as this, while we recognise that there is a desire to look back on a political career, we are mindful that a family is grieving for a husband, father, brother and grandfather and that his party colleagues are mourning the loss of their leader and friend. In an Assembly which is about facilitating different points of view, we respect the fact that many will be able to focus only on specific points of Martin McGuinness's life in a way that is shaped by their own experiences. However, to have a full understanding of our history and politics, we realise that if we reflect solely on one single moment or event in time we are unlikely to learn the full story. In tributes to him yesterday, the phrase that was often used was that Martin McGuinness had been on a journey. It is clear, though, that he was not a passenger but was determined to lead the way for others to come with him. When reflecting on a journey, we remember where we started. It is also important to recognise how far we have travelled and the destination that we have reached. That is equally true of the life of Martin McGuinness. A few years ago, as deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness participated in the unveiling of the portraits of Seamus Heaney and C S Lewis which hang in this building. The Heaney portrait includes the line from 'The Cure at Troy': "Believe that a further shore Is reachable from here." 1 In his role in this Assembly, Martin McGuinness was motivated by reaching that further shore for the good of this society. We thank him for his significant and long- standing public service in this Assembly and to our politics more widely. We thank his wife Bernie, his children and his wider family circle for supporting him in that service. On behalf of this Assembly, I express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family circle. I will now invite the party leaders to speak for about five minutes to pay tribute to our colleague. I will then call Members as they rise in their places. I will not impose strict time constraints, but I encourage Members to be brief — probably no more than three minutes — to give time for as many as possible in the time that I have allocated for the tributes. When tributes are concluded, Members are welcome to join me in the Great Hall for the signing of the book of condolence. The book of condolence will be available for Members and staff to sign up until 2.30 pm, after which it will be open to the public. The House will now pay its own respects. Mrs O'Neill: I am only too proud to stand here today to say a few words about our friend Martin McGuinness. My comments are on behalf of all our Sinn Féin team here in the Assembly Chamber today and, indeed, on behalf of all our party right across the island of Ireland. Martin McGuinness was a political visionary. He played a key and enormous part in delivering fundamental change in this society and in transforming the relationships on this island and between these islands. He was a gifted political strategist and orator, a thinker and an occasional angler when he got the chance. In an earlier life, he was a talented footballer, or at least that is what he told us. For the Sinn Féin MLAs in this Chamber and for the Irish republican family across this island and beyond, he was our leader. He was our inspiration, our role model and, above all else, our dear and valued friend. So it is with a broken heart, but a heart that is bursting with pride, that I have the honour and privilege to pay tribute to him today. I send all our love to Bernie, Gráinne, Fionnuala, Fiachra and Emmett and the wider McGuinness clan. He was our leader, but he was your daddy, your husband, your grandad and your brother. We are very conscious of your pain, and we will never forget the sacrifices that you made through many long and difficult years of struggle, during which Martin, as always, led from the front. I hope that you can take some comfort from the knowledge that Martin gave so much of his life, his time and his energy to make the lives of others better and to build a better future for all our people. Martin grew up in the poverty of the Bogside. He witnessed discrimination, inequality and oppression. He did not look away or run away from the challenges. With others in his generation, he decided to confront these injustices. The struggle for equality, respect and self-determination for the people of this island became his life's work. His leadership and the example he set will continue to inspire those of us who are determined to build a better future for all generations to come. As in so many things, Martin set the standard. He challenged us all constantly to do more by always doing more himself, by always going further and challenging himself and all of us to reach out to our political opponents. He believed that society should 2 be judged by how it treats the most vulnerable citizens, and he stood up for those who needed his help and support time and time again. He forced people out of comfort zones. He took bold initiatives to drive the peace and political processes forward. In his last public appeal, he urged people to choose hope over fear — to put equality and respect for all our people at the heart of the power-sharing institutions. That should be the clarion call for all in this Chamber in the weeks, months and years ahead. The legacy that Martin wished was for a better future based on equality and measured by the joy and laughter of all our children. So, on behalf of Sinn Féin, I rededicate our party to completing his life's work and to living through his legacy. Mrs Foster: I am making these remarks on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party. It is fitting that, as elected representatives, we gather here in the Assembly Chamber to acknowledge the passing of Martin McGuinness. As I said yesterday, Martin was, first and foremost, a much-loved husband, father and grandfather. He was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren and often said that, although he had travelled the world and met presidents, prime ministers and even royalty, his heart was very much with his family and in his home city. Today, it is important to remember that, at the heart of this — in the midst of the headlines, opinions and commentary — there is a family that is very much suffering the pain and grief of loss. My thoughts and prayers, as they have been since his death was announced, are with Martin's wife and family circle. Just like Northern Ireland's history and our troubled past, Martin McGuinness's legacy is complex and challenging. I know that this is a hugely difficult time for many across Northern Ireland; difficult for many different reasons. Many victims are feeling very hurt because painful memories and scars left by their own loss will have been opened up again. I would never seek to minimise the very real pain that they are going through — indeed, I understand that pain and empathise with all those innocent victims throughout Northern Ireland — but I also recognise that many republicans and nationalists who looked to Martin as a leader, friend or mentor will be feeling a very real sense of loss that he has died in this way at the relatively young age of 66. History will judge, and, as in all things, history will have the final say. There has been much talk of my personal working relationship with Martin. He never sought to airbrush the past and neither did I.