Church leaders hailpeacemaker Gordon Wilson on 25thanniversary of his passing
THE legacy of a grieving father who became one of Northern Ireland’s most respected peace campaigners has been praised on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Major Church figures, including a former Church of Ireland Primate and a former Methodist president, paid tribute to Gordon Wilson.
The Enniskillen man made world headlines in the aftermath of the IRA’S 1987 Remembrance Sunday bombing, which killed his daughter Marie and 10 other people and badly injured many more. A 12th victim was left in a coma and died 13 years later.
That evening Mr Wilson told a BBC reporter: “I bear no ill-will. I bear no grudge. I don’t have an answer, but I know there has to be a plan. It’s part of a greater plan and God is good. And we shall meet again.”
His words had a profound impact and he received many tributes. The Queen reflected on his words in her Christmas broadcast that year.
He was also voted the BBC Today programme’s Man of the Year, ahead of Terry Waite and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Mr Wilson, who died on June 27, 1995, had said: “I’m not worthy of it. I’m just an ordinary guy.”
Lord Eames, the former Church of Ireland Primate who was preaching in Enniskillen on the day of the bombing, said this week: “Gordon’s words after the tragedy will long remain as an immense testimony to his personal faith and courage long after the Troubles have faded into history.
“That courage, both personal and physical, I saw in the Erne Hospital later that afternoon was to shine out as a great example of Christian belief in the face of evil and suffering. They challenged a community which was faced with anger and suffering and unable to find hope in darkness.”
Former Methodist president the Reverend Jim Rea recalled how Mr Wilson moved UVF leaders to tears during a meeting with the terror group shortly before he died.
He said: “I met Gordon for the first time when I became a minister in Irvinestown in 1972 and from the start
I felt that I was in the presence of a great man. Gordon would not have considered it so. He was a very humble person.
“I will never forget Gordon’s words suggesting that he had prayed for Marie’s killers. It was an act of amazing grace. He then became an active peacemaker, and I recall taking him to meet the leaders of the UVF on the Shankill Road.
“I watched these men moved to tears as he pleaded with them to give up their guns and to move forward. It was obvious that he was sowing seeds of hope as they admitted to him that the Troubles had to end, as there was no future in violence.
“Gordon took risks and sometimes received criticism, but he was driven by his deep Christian convictions.”
Brian Kissock (left) ,a former champion golfer and businessman, shared business interests with Mr Wilson, who owned a drapery business in Enniskillen. He said: “Gordon was a keen golfer and I first met him when I was playing on the Irish golf team at Portmarnock. Some years later when we were in the garment business he was a valued customer and we became good friends.
“I attended the funeral of his daughter Marie, and I spoke to
Gordon. I expressed my condolences and, through his tears, he said: ‘She was a grand wee lass’.
“Gordon was a remarkable Christian who spent the rest of his life trying to bring peace, and his legacy is that Northern Ireland is a better place today despite our divisions.”
Mr Wilson accepted an invitation to take a seat in the Irish Senate in 1993, despite criticism from some unionists. He later made headlines by meeting the Provisional IRA at his request in a secret Co Donegal location.
Afterwards he was despondent. He said: “I got nothing.”
However, the next year the Provisionals ended their campaign, and in retrospect the Enniskillen bombing and the courage of Mr Wilson are seen as two turning points in the Troubles.
Mr Wilson is survived by his wife Joan, who is in her mid-80s, their daughter Julie Anne and the wider family.
He was pre-deceased in December 1994 by his son Peter, who was killed in a road accident.
His untimely death was thought to be a factor in Mr Wilson’s own passing a few months later at the age of 67.