Adams recalls Martin McGuinness' 'confidence in his Irishness' in arguing for respect for unionist traditions

The erstwhile Sinn Féin president told the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement that the Irish Government needed ‘to be totally committed to upholding and promoting the rights of our unionist neighbours, including the rights of the Orange Order and other loyal institutions’.

Mr. Adams said that this was an argument that the late Martin McGuinness had made during the peace process.

“The protections in the Good Friday Agreement are their [unionists and loyal institutions] protections also. This is their land.

"This is their home place. There needs to be a clear commitment by the rest of us to uphold their rights and to work with them to make this a better place for everyone.

"As Martin McGuinness said, ‘I am so confident in my Irishness that I have no desire to chip away at the Britishness of my neighbours’.

"Surely the new Ireland planned and built by all of the people of the island can accommodate and celebrate our differences and diversity. Irish unity, and the end of the awful union with England which was forced upon us, will profoundly transform the political landscape here.

"A new multicultural society, embracing and respecting all traditions, will emerge.”

Social media star Abood Al Jumaili at Derry Martin McGuinness Gaelic Games Blitz