My home town of Derry was rocked last week by news of the deaths of two leading members of the community. One was the captain of Derry City football team, local hero Ryan McBride, who was found dead in his home at the age of 27. The other was Martin McGuinness, the former deputy first minister of Northern Ireland who had helped bring peace to Northern Ireland. Both men were pillars in their chosen profession, and despite the crude headlines over the past few days with regard to McGuinness’ past, for the people of his city, he was a man who worked tirelessly for his people, and ended up bringing them the one thing they had only hoped to see — peace in their lifetime. And there is peace, along with the determination to hold on to it.
For a small city, it is such a great loss, and it could be felt even more potently last Thursday, when both men were buried in the city. Thursday was a day of sadness and reflection as McBride’s funeral was held in the morning, while McGuinness’ funeral was held in the afternoon at a small church near the Bogside area of Derry — the ground zero of much conflict over the years. The vast numbers of people who turned out to say their goodbyes as the coffin, draped as it was in the Irish flag, was carried through the streets from McGuinness’ home to the church, bore testament to his popularity in the city and beyond. Former US president Bill Clinton attended the ceremony as did heads of state in the Irish republic, such as Irish President Michael D. Higgins. Clinton gave a touching speech in the church, which brought tears to many eyes, including my own, when he spoke of his friend and what his work meant to many people. “And he never stopped being who he was. A good husband, a good father, a follower of the faith of his father and mother and a passionate believer in a free, secure, self-governing Ireland,” Clinton told the congregation.
My favourite line of Clinton’s, who once again showed his natural ability for oration and presence, was this: “The only thing that happened was that he expanded the definition of ‘us’ and shrank the definition of ‘them’.”
How fitting is this line to say to everyone today, when the world is becoming one filled with tribal loyalties, with people grasping on to that which divides us and forgetting that which unites. I hope the work of peace will continue in my home and across the region, and I’m confident that we are the people to achieve this.
One thing that McGuinness showed us is that anyone can change for the better, whatever our beliefs or our past. What matters when we wake up each day is that we are alive now and the actions we take to affect other people’s lives can enhance our own. This is the legacy that people like McGuinness leave behind, and as Clinton said, we need to make sure that Northern Ireland continues to move forward and not backward.
McGuinness and McBride were people who inspired others and they will continue to do so after their deaths. It will take a long time for our city to heal, but we are a resilient bunch, who’ve fought many battles over the years and kept a warmth and humanity that gives strength when it is needed most. Now is one of those times.
Christina Curran is a journalist currently studying a Masters in International Relations at Queen’s University, Belfast.
