MCGUINNESS LEGACY
MARTIN McGuinness has been remembered by Sligo Republicans and the wider community in the days following his passing last week.
Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor Hubert Keaney called him “an exceptional Statesman who made an enormous contribution during his career in public life.”
“He played a central role in delivering the Good Friday Agreement and was commended by all communities in Northern Ireland for his work as Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister,” he said.
Sligo County Council opened a Book of Condolence at County Hall, Riverside and at Teach Laighne, Tubercurry.
Former Sinn Féin Councillor Sean MacManus said: “I have known him for almost 40 years as a comrade and friend. He was a patriot, revolutionary, both charismatic and humble, courageous and dedicated. He did his country much service, we remember him with pride.”
Sinn Fein Councillor Chris MacManus said: “Martin was a political visionary. He played a massive part in delivering significant change in Irish society and in changing the relationships between different communities on this island as well as fostering a process of reconciliation with anyone or any group regardless of their political background. Some may have difficulties with the story of Martin’s life, but no one can fail to hold in high regard his personal commitment to ultimately secure a better future for all future generations in Ireland.
“For our family especially, it was the end of a relationship going back to the 1970s when my father, Sean first got to know Martin. We are proud to call him a family friend.
“I first met Martin when I was aged no more than eleven or twelve. Already then he was a legend within the Irish Republican community. Sean was the National Chairman of Sinn Féin at that stage and our home was often a calling stop for people like Martin or Gerry Adams who needed to meet Dad or get a bit to eat or a bed for the night.
“So I remember the first time he came. It was his inherent calmness and straightas-a- die attitude. He had a presence. ‘ Martin was very candid about his motivation for his involvement in Irish Republicanism. He was shaped by his upbringing in hard circumstances in the Bogside. He and his community were subject to oppression, discrimination and blatant inequality inflicted by the Unionist state.
“But he refused to leave his beloved Derry and along with many of his generation he decided to confront the forces of injustice. His leadership was self- evident and such qualities were to be crucial when he took bold initiatives to drive the Peace Process forward.
“His meetings with Queen Elizabeth of England would have been unthinkable only a few years earlier. But Martin felt that Irish Republicans had to show the Unionist community that we respected their culture and their traditions.
“And while many within my own community were unsettled by the initial gesture, I can assure them that Martin McGuinness was no less committed to a united Ireland than at any other time of his political life. ‘ Sean who worked with Martin for many years during the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement would regal us with how Martin would lead the direct talks with senior British Government members at either Stormont or Downing Street.
“How without any notes, Martin at length, would articulate the Republican position on many different issues. Suffice to say, British officials would in a hurried manner scribble down every single word. They were dealing with a political leader who meant business.
“After the Peace Agreement and the establishment of a Stormont executive, Martin took the role of Minister for Education. This surprised many, but Martin showed a real passion for the job.
“He was convinced that it was the best way to prepare the younger generation in working for a better society. I remember once, contacting his office in Stormont with a long- shot request of him meeting a group of teens from Cranmore as part of a Peace & Reconciliation project visiting the Falls and Shankhill Roads. Within a few hours Martin himself rang me back. ‘ What date and what time?’ he enquired. True to his word and despite a busy schedule Martin welcomed the busload from Cranmore into Stormont. ‘ One of his passions was fly- fishing. Occasionally I travelled with him around County Sligo and he might stop the car near a bridge to take a look and see if the fish were biting. In recent years he got to pursue this passion quite often in west Sligo.
“Probably many don’t know but he regularly stayed in the Easkey area along with his family. He loved it out there and had the craic with the locals. In return they respected his privacy and never made too much of a fuss of the visiting ‘ Head of State’! Just as Martin liked it. ‘ While a small number of Republicans locally would know he was visiting we would never impinge on his private family time. Free time like that was few and far between and was cherished. Once, however, I broke the rule.
“In 2014, Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann came to Sligo and I was the ‘ Ambassador’ for the EU Peace Scheme which was funding the formal launch and the ‘ Gig Rig’ in Stephen St. Car Park. I knew he would be staying in west Sligo that August and with some trepidation I made contact. ‘ No problem’ was the reply. Knowing that the President Michael D. Higgins was going to be there sealed the decision.
The two had got on famously and become friends since the Presidential elections in 2011. ‘ That was the Martin McGuinness that I knew. ‘ With his passing he had handed on a baton to my generation of Republicans and indeed those younger. I hope we can step up to his mark. He is an inspiration and a role model.
“The greatest tribute we can pay him is to work hard for the dream of Irish Unity he had, where every citizen is treated equally, with respect and dignity. ‘ On behalf of Sligo Republicans and all those in our local communities who held Martin in high regard I want to send our heartfelt thanks and love to his wife Bernie, his children Gráinne, Fionnuala, Fiachra and Emmett and the wider McGuinness clan. We will always cherish his memory,” he said.
Fianna Fáil Deputy Marc MacSharry said McGuinness was “a true Republican and great Irish man.”