Praise but he was no Mandela..

Martin Mcguinness and I shared a birthday, May 23. We both believed in Irish unity but our life’s journey could not have been more different. I never met the man but spoke to him once on the phone. It was the day the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Mo Mowlam was staying with me that evening. He was looking to speak to her. I had very mixed emotions when he died and listening to and watching the opinions expressed by the great and the good did not bring any instant clarity, but then the history of our island over the last 50 years is complex and full of contradictions. In some instances there are matters the knowledge of which I will carry to my grave. However, one of the best commentaries was Olivia O’leary on Drivetime on Tuesday. She recalled an attempt by John Hume to persuade a teenage Mcguinness to pursue unity through democratic means. He failed. John Hume is one of my heroes. So is Seamus Mallon, who said the Good Friday Agreement was “Sunningdale for slow learners”. Maybe the Butcher of the Bogside was incapable of following any other path than the one he did, but we must all be thankful that he finally came to the realisation that the gun had to be cast aside in favour of democratic means. There is no doubt in my mind Mcguinness was a brilliant strategist and could be pragmatic when required. He acquired the vision to understand the dynamics needed to be put in place to halt the dreadful cycle of violence. For that all of us should be deeply grateful. It is a shame at the end of his life he did not seek forgiveness or apologise to the innocent victims of violence over which he had command. An extraordinary man but no Mandela. When circumstances like this arise, I always feel a little queasy about those who step forward to speak and then by inference claim ownership of the peace process. There are many unsung heroes and I have the privilege of knowing some of them. They are the glue that holds this process together.