Essential viewing.
The lines of political and social division will be extremely prominent in American society today as Donald Trump’s inauguration takes place, but on a day when the world seems increasingly fractured, it’s positive to see that Martin McGuinness’s retirement from politics has united various people across Irish society.
Moments of respect have been hard to find in Stormont of late, but in an extremely emotional tribute, DUP MP Ian Paisley has expressed his sincere thanks to Sinn Féin’s former deputy first minister.
Speaking with the BBC, Paisley said that McGuinness’s “remarkable journey not only saved lives but made the lives of countless people better.”
“It is important that we, actually, do reflect on the fact that we would not be where we are in Northern Ireland, in terms of having stability, peace and the opportunity to rebuild our country, were it not for the work he did put in, especially with my father at the beginning of this long journey”, he added.
“I can say thank you – honestly and humbly and recognise the remarkable journey Martin McGuinness went on has not only saved lives, but has made the lives of countless people in Northern Ireland better because of the partnership government we worked on and put together. I wish him well in his retirement and hope he has time to get over his health issues and enjoy retirement time with his wife and family”, he said.
Despite their clear political differences, Mr McGuinness worked tirelessly to forge a friendship with Mr Paisley’s father, former DUP leader Ian Paisley Sr, when they were first and deputy first ministers.
In fact, the duo were even dubbed the ‘chuckle brothers’, due to their affinity and mutual respect for each other. When Dr Paisley died, Mr McGuinness said he had lost “a friend”.
Here’s the interview in full.
@ianpaisleymp comments on @M_McGuinness_SF on #theview tonight #respect pic.twitter.com/DMoqFjUR3i
— Patrick Simpson (@SimpsonPaddy) January 19, 2017
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