“It was a moment for me to show my respect to the unionist people of the North.”
June 2012 saw one of the landmark events in the history of Ireland, as Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness – who had been a leading member of the IRA – shook the hand of Queen Elizabeth II.
McGuinness – who died early on Tuesday morning at the age of just 66 – subsequently spoke to Miriam O’Callaghan about the significant of his meeting with the Queen, and how he wanted to pay his respect to the unionist people within Northern Ireland.
“(I wanted to extend) the hand of peace, friendship and reconciliation to all of them,” he said. “The Peace Process is not over, there are still divisions that need to be healed and I passionately believe in reconciliation between the people of the North and the rest of this island, and between the people of this island and Britain.”
O’Callaghan asked him if he liked the Queen, and he spoke warmly of the seven or eight minute engagement that meant so much to those on both sides of the Irish Sea.
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