“Martin McGuinness – ‘Statesman & Peacemaker’ ”  by Joe McVeigh

I met Mitchel McLaughlin at his home in the Bogside a few weeks ago and I asked about Martin McGuinness. He told me he was very ill in hospital. Mitchel was one of his closest friends and had been close to him since the beginning of his illness. He said, “We can ill afford to lose a man like this. He is a statesman” and he added, “There are not too many of them around.” Mitchel always chooses his words carefully and I noted how he described his friend and neighbour as “a statesman.”

Martin McGuinness will be forever remembered for his role in building the peace process after almost thirty years of violent conflict, when many had almost despaired of ever finding a peaceful way forward. Because of his own journey he was able to lead his people towards peace and reconciliation. He will also be remembered for his close friendship with Dr Ian Paisley in the power-sharing executive. As a politician his policy was always respect –respect for his political opponents. He epitomised this in his attitude and in his actions. He showed respect above all to his traditional enemies. The way he respected Dr Paisley and Queen Elizabeth are two shining examples of his commitment to peacemaking. I believe that, in this regard, he was greatly inspired by the example of Nelson Mandela.

Martin McGuinness was a proud Derry man with strong Donegal connections. His mother hailed from Buncrana and he loved going there in his youth. He enjoyed fishing and walking. Martin became very aware of his Irish identity from an early age and was conscious of the disastrous effects of partition in his home city of Derry. He was born into an Irish republican community in the Bogside where there was high unemployment rates and great deprivation. When the British reacted militarily to the Civil Rights campaign, Martin, like many other young people, joined the IRA to defend his people in the Bogside who were being attacked by the RUC, B-Specials and British soldiers. The event which had the biggest impact on him was Bloody Sunday in January 1972 when 13 unarmed civilians were shot to death by members of the British Parachute regiment sent to Derry specially to stop the growing movement for civil rights.

He became an Irish republican activist in Derry to protect his people. He was a poet and a lovely human being, a humble human being who never forgot his roots in the Bogside and the family and community who loved him and supported him.

Martin grew up in a deeply divided society. Discrimination, gerrymandering and bigotry were the characteristics of the state into which he was born and reared.   That experience made a huge impact on him as a young person growing up and it determined the choices he made afterwards, firstly as a young man to join the republican movement and then, in later years, to lead the movement for a peace settlement. He was always totally committed to the republican cause which was to bring about the reunification of Ireland. That was, in his view, the only way that justice and lasting peace could be finally achieved on this island. That remained his goal throughout his life but he was prepared to compromise in a bid to make life better and to encourage unionists to think about the advantages of living in a reunified Ireland. He certainly helped to bring that dream closer to reality by insisting that unionists had a very important place in a New Ireland. He was always conscious that the Tricolour was about uniting the Orange and Green.

Martin always dressed impeccably. He had a striking resemblance to one Art Garfunkel. He was six foot tall, slim build, athletic looking and walked with a swagger. People were attracted to him. Wherever he went there was a buzz as when he went around the country canvassing in the Presidential election campaign in 2011. He did not make it on the Derry senior team like his brother Tom. He had other things to do. He liked following the Derry City team. He was born and reared beside their home ground in Brandywell.

Martin always made time for people-especially people coming to Derry to find out more about the situation. In the time of censorship and misreporting he saw it as vital that the world would hear the truth about what the British were doing in this country. I remember bringing the American poet, Carolyn Forché, to visit him in his Bogside office shortly after the Hunger-strike in 1981. She was already a leading poet in the US and was most impressed with his analysis and clear vision. In the middle of the conversation a British army foot patrol arrived at the door. My friend from the US froze with fear. Martin remained calm and went to the door to inquire what they were looking for. They said something like it was a routine visit. Martin just told them to move on, that he had visitors and he closed the door. He took charge of a delicate situation. My poet friend was most impressed with his authority and strength of character.

I do not think that there is anybody who has invested so much time and energy into making the peace process work as Martin McGuinness. He has made huge personal sacrifices to make the peace and build the peace after the long war. He has taken huge risks for peace. He has met many obstacles head-on and always retained his composure and good manners. Perhaps, all of this has taken its toll on his health. None of us who knew him ever thought that he would be forced to quit due to ill-health at a relatively young age.

I always admired how he took time out of a busy schedule to turn up at funerals of people who had made any contribution to the fight for justice.

Someone has compared him to Michael Collins. He certainly had that charisma they say that Collins had. He also had his great stamina. He was bright and intelligent. He was a great family man. He was very close to his mother and father and his siblings. His wife Bernie, daughters, son and grandchildren were the most important people in his life.

The Martin McGuinness I knew was humble, personable, articulate and courageous. I remember seeing him in Milltown Cemetery the day that the loyalist fanatic Stone threw hand grenades into the crowd killing a number of people. Martin took charge of the situation and restored calm to a panicked crowd.

Many have paid tribute to Martin for making the peace process possible. Others, more hostile, go back to his early days in the IRA. Those who do not understand Derry or the north at that time will not understand his decision and the decision of many young men to join the IRA at that time in order to protect their own community against vicious sectarian assaults by British soldiers, the RUC, B men and loyalists. At the time it was understandable why a young man in the Bogside would have wanted to join the republican movement which attempted to offer protection to a vulnerable community.

Since I first met him many years ago, I have always considered Martin McGuinness a good friend. Last November when my house was attacked, in a sectarian attack, Martin was one of the first to phone me to see if I was all right.

Martin McGuinness was one of those responsible for ‘taking the gun out of Irish politics.’ He , along with Gerry Adams and other Sinn Fein leaders like Mitchel McLaughlin and Gerry Kelly, pointed the political way forward. Martin was very influential within the republican movement in persuading republicans to continue the struggle for justice, peace and freedom by peaceful political means. He was the Sinn Fein leader who reached out to Unionists in order to begin the process of reconciliation. Rev Ian Paisley responded with generosity and good humour. After a slow start, Peter Robinson became generous. Martin was convinced that if there was to be Irish unity the unionists would have to become at least comfortable living with and working with Irish republicans. Martin led the way as Minister of Education reaching out to all sections of the community. As Deputy First Minister he was always gracious and dignified. His symbolic gestures in reaching out to those who were once his enemies was done to help in the process of healing and reconciliation that is much needed if we are to keep moving forward.

When he resigned from politics last Christmas, I heard the kind words spoken by Ian Paisley Jnr. about Martin McGuinness and his good wishes and expression of gratitude to him. I was not surprised since Martin had told me how well received he was at Dr Paisley’s wake by Eileen Paisley and the whole family. Nevertheless, it took courage for Ian Jnr to come on the radio and make his gracious remarks. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of positive response from DUP quarters to Ian Jnr’s comments and pleasantly surprised at the genuine compliments paid to Martin McGuinness by many on the radio programme. Because of the peace process to which Martin devoted all his energy and skills as a negotiator we are all now in a better place. His dream of a reunified and reconciled Ireland is now more likely than at any time in our history, thanks to Martin and others who worked so hard to bring us to where we are today. Go raibh maith agat a chara. Suaimhneas Siorraí ort.