Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Laying this wreath shows I want to be First Minister for all
O’neill & SF mayor honour war dead
BY
SINN Fein’s deputy leader has said laying a wreath to mark the Battle of the Somme sends out a strong message that she wants to be a leader for all.
Michelle O’neill joined her party’s Lord Mayor Tina Black to lay a wreath at Belfast City Hall’s Cenotaph yesterday – two hours ahead of the official commemoration marking the first day of the battle in 1916.
While the party’s lord mayors have laid laurel wreaths on the anniversary of the First World War battle in previous years in the city, this was the first occasion a member of its leadership has taken part
Northern Ireland Office Minister Conor Burns welcomed Ms O’neill’s participation.
However, DUP MP Gavin Robinson suggested there should be no need for “segregated commemoration”, questioning why Ms O’neill had not gone to the main event.
Mr Burns and Mr Robinson attended the official commemoration as did Fine Gael TD Fergus O’dowd and deputy lord mayor and Alliance cllr Michelle Kelly.
Ms O’neill said: “I said throughout th e el e ction campaign that I wanted to be a first minister for all.
“And I hope that today’s attendance and the laying of a wreath is actually a demonstration of someone who wants to work for all in our community.
“I think as political leaders, we have a responsibility to reach beyond our comfort zones and actually reach out the hand of friendship, and to try to do whatever we can in terms of leadership in terms of healing the wounds of the past. So, I’m very pleased to be here this morning to have laid a wreath in terms of all those lives lost.”
Last July, the then Deputy First Minister joined then DUP First Minister Paul Givan at the Irish National War Memorial in Dublin to remember those who fell at the Somme. That was the first time Ms O’neill had attended a Royal British Legion wreath-laying ceremony.
Ms O’neill declined to be drawn when asked yesterday about why she was prepared to attend an official event in Dublin but not in Belfast.
She added: “I’m doing so to be respectful, I’m doing so to actually try to reach out the hand of friendship, to actually show political leadership.”