“Healing the wounds of the past is a slow process, but Her Majesty has played an important part in it”

Left Foot Forward

History was made today in Northern Ireland as the Queen shook hands with Martin McGuinness, reports Shamik Das.

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History was made today in Northern Ireland as the Queen shook hands with Martin McGuinness. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Unbelievable.

Truly a picture to paint an infinity of words and help heal decades, nay centuries of conflict and division:

Martin-McGuinness-The-Queen
Today’s Belfast Telegraph editorial, which says the handshake “boosts the cause of peace”, is particularly poignant:

“Geraldine Ferguson believes the handshake is a signal of commitment to the cause of peace, a cause that her 21-year-old son, [Sapper Patrick Azimkar], died for.

“She hopes, as do we all, that Northern Ireland is firmly set on the road to a lasting and just peace. For she, like us, knows only too well the unacceptable human cost of hatred and division.

“But she also recognises that the death of her son along with another young soldier was widely condemned by all sections of the community here and there was a tremendous outpouring of sympathy for the bereaved families.

“Healing the wounds of the past is a slow process, but Her Majesty has played an important part in it.”

With the Irish Times tonight adding:

The pair first shook hands away from the media spotlight behind closed doors. They met in a room within Belfast’s Lyric theatre during an event celebrating the arts in the Republic and Northern Ireland. But later, as the queen left to continue her diamond jubilee tour of Northern Ireland, the pair shook hands again, this time in public.

As they shook hands for a second time, Mr McGuinness said “slán agus beannacht”, telling the queen it meant “goodbye and Godspeed”.

It is understood that during the VIPs’ initial private meeting, Mr McGuinness welcomed both the queen and President Higgins in Irish. Mr McGuinness is said to have commented briefly on the queen’s visit to Dublin last year, and in particular her comments regarding all the victims of the conflict. A Sinn Féin spokesman said: “He emphasised the need to acknowledge the pain of all victims of the conflict and their families.”

Mr McGuinness is said to have spoken to the queen of the significance of her visit, and of the need for it to be built upon in the time ahead.

Sinn Féin said Mr McGuinness told the queen that their meeting was a “powerful signal that peace-building requires leadership”. He also praised the role of the President in today’s encounter, and welcomed that the engagement took place at an event celebrating culture across Ireland.

 

See also:

• Official: Martin McGuinness will meet the Queen 22 Jun 2012

• Jubilee celebrations offered a “legacy of hope” for Scotland and Northern Ireland 6 Jun 2012

• How does Northern Ireland achieve reconciliation in 2012? 3 Jan 2012

• The Queen’s visit is as much about Britain’s past as Ireland’s 20 May 2011

• The Queen in Dublin: An eyewitness account of history 18 May 2011

• The security, symbolism and history of the Queen’s visit to Ireland 17 May 2011

• President McAleese: Queen’s visit “an extraordinary moment in Irish history” 17 May 2011

 

Wednesday, June 27th 2012, the day the Queen and Martin McGuinness shook hands.

Handshakes don’t get more historic than this.

 

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6 Responses to ““Healing the wounds of the past is a slow process, but Her Majesty has played an important part in it””

  1. Karen

    “Healing wounds of past is a slow process, but Her Majesty played an important part” http://t.co/zu9tZj7A <Great to see such progress in NI!

  2. BevR

    RT @leftfootfwd: “Healing the wounds of the past is a slow process, but Her Majesty has played an important part in http://t.co/R3soLgBk

  3. Sarah Wiltshire

    “Healing the wounds of the past is a slow process, but Her Majesty has played an important part in it” | Left Foot For… http://t.co/Ajdstkwb

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