Tributes paid to ex-IRA commander McGuinness
Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones has paid tribute to Northern Ireland’s former deputy first minister saying he had been “vital in bringing peace to Northern Ireland”.
The ex-IRA commander died on Monday at the age of 66.
He had not been seen in public for months after he stood down from his role in the country’s parliament in January.
His retirement came amid health concerns, but he, his family and colleagues did not specify the nature of his illness.
Sinn Fein said in a statement: “It is with deep regret and sadness that we have learnt of the death of our friend and comrade Martin McGuinness who passed away in Derry during the night. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”
When he stood down in January in protest at the DUP’s handling of the ‘cash for ash’ energy scandal it triggered a snap election.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams paid tribute to his lifelong friend, saying: “Throughout his life Martin showed great determination, dignity and humility and it was no different during his short illness.
“He was a passionate republican who worked tirelessly for peace and reconciliation and for the reunification of his country.
“But, above all, he loved his family and the people of Derry and he was immensely proud of both.
“The world of politics and the people across this island will miss the leadership he gave, shown most clearly during the difficult times of the peace process, and his commitment to the values of genuine democracy that he demonstrated in the development of the institutions in Northern Ireland,” he said.
Mr Higgins said Mr McGuinness made an immense contribution to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain said Mr McGuinness was “absolutely crucial” to the peace process.
He said: “He had the grassroots credibility of a republican leader and former IRA commander, that could enable him, along with Gerry Adams, to take his followers, to take republicans, from the past of terror and horror into a democratic future, which is what he did.”
But Lord Norman Tebbit , who was blown up in the IRA bombing of the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984, said: “The world is a sweeter place today.
“He was a coward who never atoned for his crimes. The reason he became a man of peace was that he was afraid of being arrested and charged with murders he committed. There can be no forgiveness without a confession of sins.”