Martin McGuinness ‘never asked anyone to do anything he wasn’t prepared to do’ - Mary Lou McDonald

The Sinn Féin president delivered a speech to The Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation and told those listening it was hard to believe that five years have passed since his death.

In a video message shared on the Foundation’s social media pages, Mary Lou McDonald said: “I miss his friendship, his advice and counsel, his wit and sense of humour. I miss his warmth for people and his passion for Ireland.

“Martin was a giant of Irish politics - a champion of struggle, a peacemaker, and a statesman who always led from the front. His contribution was central to the development of the peace process and to the delivery of the historic Good Friday Agreement. Though Martin carried many responsibilities on his shoulders, he saw his duty as a bridge-builder and leader of reconciliation to be the most important.”

Martin McGuinness understood the profound power of extending the hand of friendship, Ms McDonald said. “He knew it was essential to the task of building a new Ireland, a home to everyone regardless of background or identity. Martin was a passionate United Irelander, but he understood acutely the importance of reaching out to Unionists. To show by action and by example that it was possible for communities – once at conflict – to come together, and raise each other up in the name of a better future.

“Bhí a fhios ag Martin McGuinness nach bhfuil compord le fíorcheannaireacht. Martin never wavered in his determination to defy expectations, to extend himself in overcoming the limitations of yesterday.

This is perhaps best reflected in the genuine friendship that blossomed between Martin and Ian Paisley as they led the Executive from 2007. A friendship, once deemed impossible, became very special to Martin.

“He never asked anyone to do anything he wasn’t prepared to do himself. That is what a leader does, and from the tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes, Martin McGuinness was leadership personified.

Humble. Human. Dignified. Rooted. Martin sat as comfortably with Presidents and Prime Ministers talking world affairs, as he did chatting with locals about fishing or the fortunes of the Derry football team. Truthfully, it was a toss-up as to which was more important to Martin!

“Martin was able to lead because he never forgot where he came from. The home of William and Peggy McGuinness. The Bogside. Free Derry. Ireland. He was first and foremost a devoted husband to Bernie, a loving father to his children and doting Seanathair to his grandkids. He was ordinary and he was formidable.

“To understand Martin McGuinness, and the weight he put on friendship-building and reconciliation, you have to understand how he grew up. Ba léir go raibh a pholaitíocht agus a mheon mar thoradh dá thógáil. Martin McGuinness grew up in the apartheid system of injustice and inequality that was the north’s Orange State. A state in which nationalists were discriminated against and treated as second-class citizens. Denied jobs. Denied housing. Faced with gerrymandering and an oppressive police force. Faced with internment without trial.

“Martin’s resolve to reconcile and forgive, to understand and to heal, to move forward and unite was born of these experiences. He was determined that – in a new and united Ireland – no section of our people would ever again be subjected to such persecution and oppression. He set out on a personal journey to demonstrate that no one had anything to fear from respect, from parity of esteem, or indeed from real friendship. He believed with every fibre of his being that equality was good for everyone.

“As he progressed on this journey, Martin remained wedded to his republican principles while transcending the division and the hurt of the past. He sought out a real, tangible connection between orange and green that would collapse barriers and build trust.

“Chaith sé a shaol ag tabhairt aitheantais do spriocanna an fhorógra. Chuaigh sé go háiteanna nach bhféadfadh agus nach rachadh daoine eile. Rinne sé go smior é le grásta agus le stuaim.

“His outlook was encapsulated in his words, ‘I am so confident in my Irishness that I have no desire to chip away at the Britishness of my neighbours’.”

It was this confidence in his republicanism, Ms McDonald said, that allowed Martin to take ‘massive, unprecedented steps’ for the sake of reconciliation, peace and progress, in the name of a new Ireland.

When Martin shook hands with England’s Queen Elizabeth, she added, he did so in the belief that such leadership was required not only to build the peace, but also to build the unified future of the nation.

“In 2016, I travelled with him to Flanders and the Somme where he laid wreaths at monuments for Irishmen who fought for Britain during the first world war. He did so as a man, who as an IRA volunteer, fought back against the British army and the oppression visited on his beloved hometown and his country. Martin understood that recognising the complexity of the historical events and differing political narratives is central to making reconciliation real on this island.

“He wasn’t threatened by reaching out or by endeavouring to understand the perspectives and experiences of others. He knew that these differing and diverse political narratives make us who we are as a community and as a people.

“Everything Martin did was about casting off the shackles of yesterday, and expanding the horizon of tomorrow. He was at all times guided by the republican values of liberty, equality and solidarity.

It was those values too that underpinned his decision to resign from the Executive in 2017.

When he said “there would be no return to status quo”, it was a challenge to political unionism to catch-up, to embrace a modern era of equality, a new departure that he had spent over a decade trying to build alongside unionist First Ministers. Political Unionism failed to rise to that challenge. It is a reality that shapes the Assembly Election we now approach.”

The DUP, she argued, ‘refuses to catch up’ with a generation that is determined to move on together. “Their entire approach to this election is driven by their belief that the office of First Minister is not open to republicans,” Ms McDonald claimed, adding: “It is a belief that exposes the leadership of the DUP - that they will only accept democracy, if it is democracy on their terms. That they will only accept power sharing if it conforms to their blueprint of unionist dominance and the vetoing of progress. Those days are over. They are not coming back. If Sinn Féin emerges as the largest party, we will nominate Michelle O’Neill as First Minister and she will be a first Minister for all. A First Minister committed to equality and good government for the people. A First Minister who will advance the work of Martin McGuinness in reaching out, in building reconciliation and in striving for a new and united Ireland.”

Ms McDonald finished by returning to Martin McGuinness’s vision and legacy.

“In the politics of this election, they have come full circle. When Martin said there would be no return to the status quo, he meant it. Sinn Féin means it too.

“This is an election about the future. A future of unity. A future that everyone must have a share in. That, in a nutshell, was Martin McGuinness’ message. Equality, unity and progress, side by side. That republican message hasn’t changed and it never will.

“So let us continue Martin’s work with hope, optimism, and confidence. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to take on the mantle of Martin McGuinness. To be leaders in our time. To extend ourselves for the greater good. Tá lá nua ag teacht. Lá a d’oibrigh Martin McGuinness gach lá dá shaol chun baint amach. The opportunities are clear for all to see. There is no limit to what can be achieved. So let’s continue our work. Let’s delivery this together.”