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Updated 3.54pm
TRIBUTES HAVE BEGUN to pour in for Ian Paisley, who died today aged 88.
Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who worked with Paisley throughout the peace process said that “today, I have lost a friend”.
“I think we confounded the world by him – a pro British, pro unionist politician – being able to work in a positive spirit with myself – an Irish republican – and not alone did we have a good working relationship but a friendship developed and it’s a friendship that lasted to this very day,” McGuinness said.
The process that we were involved in, the IRA ceasefire in 1994, now 20 years old, was, I think, the rubicon for a lot of people which changed an awful lot of things.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that “there will be plenty of time for political analysis”, but that he wishes to extend his sympathies to the family.
Speaking to RTÉ News, DUP Leader Peter Robinson said:
“He had a personality which we’re hardly likely to ever see again in Northern Irleand.”
Even those who thought the least of his politics, thought the most of him as a person.
Former SDLP leader John Hume said that history will remember Paisley as a man who’s political legacy is a journey, from the politics of division to respect for diversity.
“While he was not always constructive and often politically challenging he could, on a personal level, be very charming,” Hume said.
His overstated outbursts often overshadowed the understated constituency work he carried out for the people of North Antrim – who he represented as an MP and an MLA – and the tireless efforts he made on behalf of Northern Ireland as a member of the European Parliament.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that Paisley’s greatest legacy will be one of peace.
“I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to him in recent years,” Kenny said,”and I know that he treasured the peace and friendship that he had lived to see, and helped to build, between our traditions.”
Dr Paisley was by any measure a major figure in the history of these islands.
Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins said Paisley’s career was “characterised by an uncompromising position of a constitutional kind.”
However, his embracing of the change necessary to achieve a discourse that might lead to peace was of immense significance, as was his commitment to building relationships in support of that peace.
The President said that irrespective of one’s political views, Paisley was a man of “immense influence” on Ireland’s history.
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern called Paisley “a big man with a big heart and he was a good friend”.
“We both came from very different political traditions, but the more I got to know Ian Paisley, the more I respected him and the more I came to like him. In my dealings with him, I found him to be unfailingly polite and a man of his word,” the former Fianna Fáil leader said in a statement.
He recalled the moment he, Paisley, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood on the steps of Stormonth to “usher in a new era of representative government for the people of Northern Ireland.”
He showed bravery, leadership and real political acumen at this critical time for Northern Ireland’s future. I saw how sincere he was about building peace, ending conflict and ensuring that the next generation could live in harmony and prosperity.
Democratic Unionist Party MP Jeffrey Donaldson, speaking to RTÉ’s News at One, recalled a moment outside 10 Downing Street in London:
He was standing with Tony Blair and said ‘I don’t want to be remembered as a man of war, I want to be remembered as a man of peace’, and despite all the things that have happened in the very trouble years [in Northern Ireland], that will ultimately be his legacy.
Many have touched on the massive impact on history that Paisley had. Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin noted that for over half a century, Paisley was “central to the politics of Unionism and Northern Ireland”. He said it took “immense political skill” to shift ground and bring his supporters with him through the peace process.
Dr. Paisley did important work in laying new foundations for peace, in securing investment for Northern Ireland and in helping build co-operation and respect between both parts of this island.
More as we get it…
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I admire Mcguinness for this kind and generous response. However, I am old enough to remember Paisley before he became a benign, elderly, “Chuckle Brother “, as the ha te filled ‘ loya lists ‘ called him after he understood that all the ha te was counter productive. I am glad that he eventually saw the light but, it must be remembered that he and his ilk, but he in particular, re tarded peace on this island by many decades. Let him be commended for his achievements in the cause of peace, but condemned for his decades of promoting sectar ian hatr ed. R I P.
Well said Sheik, all this revisionism distorts the bigger picture
I think McGuinness was being sarcastic.
“Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.” – Machiavelli
Well said. I am glad he changed his tune in his later years, but he’ll always be the man who hated me because I was Irish.
Paisley never denied he was Irish… he was Irish the same way that Scottish Unionists are British and Scottish.
Paisley was a con artist who made a fortune from his made up nonsensical bible thumping religion. The 1980′s biography by Andy Pollack & Ed Moloney makes that clear. This idiot of a man claimed the world was 6,000 years and with his daughter’s help stopped an interpretive centre being built near Lough Neagh because it was going to say that the Lough was formed after the last ice age, 20,000 years ago. He didn’t believe there was a 20,000 years ago. He had decades of the blood of those that died because of his sectarianism and racialism on his hands. I’m going to have a pint to celebrate his passing.
Nailed it Sheikey baby
One thing I can say that Ian Paisley taught me — yes, you can change for the better. Paisley traveled from exploiting fear and hate to a force for good for all the people in Northern Ireland.
He was a bit like Darth Vader; he came good in the end.
Ah don’t ruin it for me!
http://creation.mobi/age-of-the-earth
gives many evidences of a young earth
In6days, that link is to a page of absolute total nonsense meant for the scientific illiterate and the brainwashed.
William
Refute the page if you can No need to be scared of the evidence . No threat is intended
Maureen, He didn’t change, he was a con artist without principals. He just did whatever suited him to take power.
in6days, you seriously think I’m going to waste my time refuting nonsensical claims pulled out of thin air that contradict the Scientific work of hundreds of years of millions of Scientists in dozens of disciplines? After that you’ll ask me to prove that the CIA didn’t blow up the WTC and that Angela Merkyl isn’t an alien shape shifting Lizard. Waste your own time. You pick one and disprove it. It’s easy.
I would say he was more British than Irish. His entire public career involved denying an Irish identity.
I’d never thought I would say this but McGuiness is showing his class here with his generous comments towards a man I’m sure he considered to be an enemy for most of his life. I hope people take note of this, and don’t use his passing as a chance to revel in the death of an old man.
Well said!
amen to that
Lets not get carried away.
Paisley was an old man but for most of his life he was a demagogue who drove murder and sectarian violence in order to advance his own career and to make sure that all things Irish or Catholic were kept in the gutter.
He may have mellowed but the man had a core of pure bigotry and hate.
And McGunness is also the only one that could have done it with any level of sincerity too. Heard Adam’s on Newstalk earlier, he couldn’t have carried it off in the same way McGuinness did, but that’s for another day.
What I find amazing, is that a guy that had so much hate and stress in his heart for so many years, could make it to 88. Maybe anger is not such a bad thing where one’s longevity is concerned after all.
It didnt take you too long Niall to turn this around against Sinn Fein….I would make the point that Paisley was eventually ready to move on as indeed is the Queen of England….lots of people in this state could take note
How did I turn it against SF? Christ, you’re paranoid.
I am sorryNiallI misread your post there. mea culpa mea culpa mea maxima culpa
No worries :) I do it myself too from time to time.
I think he said it purely because Paisley would hate him saying it
I would have reveled in the death of paisley 30 years ago. now its just too little too late.
yet bobby sands is a hero to so many. an paisley is seen as an embarrassment and a figure for ridicule and hate.
Not sure that I would necessarily agree that Bobby Sands is a hero to so many, he might be a hero to dyed in the wool republicans, but there are as many people who think he was stupid to give up his life over the aim of being declared as ‘political prisoners’ rather than criminals. Fair play to Martin Mc Guinness for his tribute today, Mc Guinness is a man that is slowly but surely growing on me, unlike that lying git Adams.
Good to see this dignified response from McGuinness. He was impressive in his presidential bid also.
I don’t agree with much of his politics, but he is a worthy statesman.
Hitler was a nice fellow too
Wow John Gahan
The Irish government signed the book of condolences for Hitler too.
I think it was Dev signed it
ya it was he was Taoiseach 1932 to 1948
There was no “book of condolences” for Hitler.
Dev went to the German Embassy and signed his condolences (maybe he kept one hand under the table like he did when taking the oath of allegiance and crossed his fingers ) He justified what he did many times after by making the point that Ireland was (at least in name) neutral.
Hitler was known to have great table manners and if you didn’t know him and bumped into him you’d probably think he was a nice guy.
But really probably the worlds biggest sphincter ever produced !
Colin, “A terse paragraph in the Irish national dailies on 3 May 1945 started the avalanche of international protest. Under the heading ‘People and Places’, the Fianna Fáil-backed Irish Press reported laconically that the Taoiseach and Minister for External Affairs, Éamon de Valera, accompanied by the Secretary of External Affairs, Joseph Walshe, ‘called on Dr Hempel, the German minister, last evening, to express his condolences’. The condolences were for Hitler who had committed suicide on 30 April.”
Before we start to rewrite history! The man was responsible for recruiting many a young man to both sides of the paramilitary conflict! He has blood on his hands!
Nonsense.
A dignified and statesmanlike statement from McGuinness about the loss of somebody who was once his enemy, later to become partner for peace and genuine friend.
I grew up with Paisleys hate, vitriol and bigotry ringing in my ears, but acknowledge his contribution to the peace process and the fact that nobody had to swallow their pride more to support the GFA.
After decades of nastiness, he came good in the end. Kinda like Darth Vader……..with an orange helmet.
In fairness, Mcguiness hadn’t really any choice. He had to say that. It’s peace process talk.
Next up will be funeral arrangements. It’ll be interesting, and hopefully cathartic for some, to see Adam’s, McGuinness & Co at the funeral. It’ll be international news for sure. Maybe it’ll send a signal to some other parts of the world, that sometimes progress can be made.
Niall you are way behind the times… Martin McGuinness was at Iris Robinson,s late father,s funeral
That’s not in the same league as Paisley’s.
In many ways former protagonists in the Northern part of Ireland are far better at moving on so to speak than some in the 26 counties
That’s very true.
There are people in Dublin who never saw a tap or were further North than Balbriggan but who are as angry to day over it, as if they lost family and were in the midst of it all.
There are people in FG and Lab. esp. enough in FF too, who froth at the mouth like Paisley at his worst.
Caoimhin, I thought you lads didn’t recognise Northern Ireland. Think you meant northern. Might want to do a bit more research before devoting yourself to the old Republicanism. Seanie, I grew up in south Louth and saw little to no Republican activity growing up. The odd shooting here and there and a few known local ‘volunteers’. What happened in Balbriggan?
correct Seanie could not agree with you more, FF position on north particularly bad as they did claim to be a republican party
What would you call the North of England ? Well I would call it Northern England and furthermore a chara I did say above “Northern part of Ireland”
Irish republicans don’t capitalise northern. It’s your ideology, not mine.
@Nial…you’ll be glad to know it’s private!
u seem to be very black and white about theses things
In his position it’s understandable that McG demonstrates magnanimity. Regardless the fact remains that for the majority of Paisley’s life he was a bigoted, hated filler cheerleader who fostered sectarian hatred.
A divisive character who was a bigot most of his life. He incited to hatred and probably delayed the peace process by years if not decades.
They’ll be no cows milked tonight on the Falls.
The Nationalists up North are calling it the second Good Friday. They’re praying like f*ck he don’t come back on Sunday though.
He wasn’t a very nice man lets be honest.
I nearly want to puke
I just did then I had to swallow it
You could do us a favour and swallow your tongue.
Politicians right up each others arses. A vile bigot has died. The world is already a better place. Hopefully Bertie Enda and the rest of them will follow him shortly. God save Ireland from these s#$=heads.
Really idiotic comment
The sad thing is that he and others could have been fantastic Irish (said so himself) politicians for good to the benefit of our entire Island, instead for most of his life he wasted that talent spreading hate and division.
The sarcastic fker lol
Paisley bears more responsibility for the last conflict than any other person. Bar none.
Ian Paisley. The greatest recruiter the IRA ever had. He made people who wanted to get on with their lives want to get involved.
The world has become a slightly better place since this bigot is now thankfully gone – he can no longer influence anyone with his outdated negative dribble..!
Growing up during the troubles, Paisley seemed to symbolise everything Catholic’s were against. I remember as a boy whenever a Northern accent was accentuated it was of Paisleys. What a lot of people don’t know about him is that he fought for a lot of causes, including Catholic’s in his own constituency who were discriminated against.
Although I was never a big fan of his, I have to say I have to admire his passion and his beliefs and later in life his willingness to accept change was inevitable. He also had a smile that would light a room.
I didn’t mean to say I was a believer in his beliefs! As a Catholic I thought he realised that we believed too!
You can shut up now!
Ahh the myth about Paisley helping Catholics in his locality.
he didn’t have some revelation in later life. the only belief he had was paisley he screwed his own people by preying on their fears while taking their votes and money. he spent his life preaching hate and sowing the seeds of violence. the only reason he agreed to peace was so he could get his name in the history books for something other than a hateful bigoted bully. the peace process would be a lot easier if he hadn’t spent his life teaching his followers to hate their neighbours.
Why “myth” Seanie?
Here’s a piece from Cal McCystal in the independent in 1994. Written well before any attempts to redeem him for the peace process.
“Chris McNabb, a reporter on the Ballymena Observer, says: ‘He’s not loved by Catholics, but is respected.’ Two years ago, when parents in the nationalist district of Cushendun fought a proposal to close Culranney Catholic primary school because it had only ten pupils, it was Paisley who petitioned the Department of Education on their behalf. A local Sinn Fein councillor, James McCarry, says: ‘To be honest, he has worked for both sides of the community. When Catholics get jobs, but Protestants won’t work with them, they go to Paisley, and he delivers the goods. That’s quite ironic.’
It puzzles people. Having established his credentials as a bigot by denouncing the Pope, …, he is attentive to Catholic constituents who seek his help. The mainly Catholic population of Rathlin Island, off the Antrim coast, owes its wind-powered electricity and improved harbour to his efforts.”
Do you think this is made up?
DELIGHTED he is gone.
Pathetic stuff from mcguinness . Paisley was a truly evil bigoted waste of oxygen. This news come 50 years too late for all the innocent Catholics that were butchered on his words
Let it go .. Deep breath !! Let go of the past .. Get over it !!
Who coaches the shiners on sound bytes and what to say on any given event. It’s a schooling in itself.
Now, what were we talking about
……
Does it matter? I am far from McGuinness’ greatest fan, but for nearly all the last 20 years, he has unfailingly chosen the speech which invites people to speak reasonably rather than throw insults or beat the crap out of each other. For that at least he deserves plenty of credit.
The Chuckle Brothers
Bitter and evil man
Anyone who cannot pay their respects to this man is a sectarian bigot.. don’t give me ‘that’s what he was’… He made amends in his later life and was always good to his catholic constituents, always ! I’m from the north and refuse to listen to ignorant comments about a man who changed, they were tough times for all, bigotry existed on both sides but the bigger men like lan adapt and move on!
they were tough times because of people like him. there is absolutely nothing he could do to make amends for the violence he caused.
I grew up in Greysteel Marc. I remember too. A thousand lifetimes aren’t long enough to make amends for the lives that were lost because of him.
Not a man I took to at all, my memory of him goes way back!
So many died before some justice.
Like George Wallace in America some of these guys want to get right before they meet judgement.
Is the Journal going to covering this all weekend now? The top ten moments of Ian Paisley next no doubt
Martin how could you.
Mcguiness is capable of letting bygones be bygones. Are you?
I was born catholic , non religious now but if I had to pick between Martin Luther or pope Leo X , I’d go for Luther .. Paisley never represented luthers reform of the church , he drove murder & violence to enhance he’s own career , only in the last few years , he has mellowed and sided with peace .. He prob knew deep down that this day was coming soon . Rip paisley !!
One half of Northern Ireland in mourning and the other half ain’t too bothered.
Such is life…
You can’t please everyone by what you do or what you say..
In the end he out-Catholicised Catholics in their most cherished belief :
Sin all you like for as long as you like and then go and get absolution.
De mortuis nil nisi bonum, eh?
Great speaker..great person..great at pitch and putt..great at being sound..great at monopoly..great at scrabble..great at not inciting hatred..great friends with the Pope..great for peace..great friends of the irish people..great friend of the Catholic religion..great at darts..great at not been close to any of the thing’s I just wrote there..
can i just ad he was a c,unt
sar·casm (särkzm)
1. A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
2. A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.
RIP
He believed in Hell. With a bit a look he’s there. How many thousands died because of his intransigence?
May he roast in hell.Evil power hungry.
McGiinness is the biggest hypocrite known to mankind, never met anyone such a hanger on and lickarse
I think it is well documented that McGuinness and Paisley got on well. It doesn’t do any good to revile either him or Paisley, in the final analysis it was the two of them that had to make the leap of faith together and bring their respective camps with them. There wouldn’t be peace on this island only for them.
RIP Ian.
Good riddance. It takes people like McGuinness and Paisley 30 years to sort their heads out while the rest suffer their inadequacies. Will be a great day for Ireland when all these clowns are in the ground.
They were known as the Chuckle Brother lol
He was nearly as sound as hitler, stalin, pol pot, ted bundy, saddam, the devil, vlad the impaler, gengsis khan…
and i hope he died screaming
Saint Ian he is now….what an odious man!
@Scipio:NO.Neither all the Nationalists in the North who bore the brunt of his hatred.
I think the condolences for Ian Paisley are more to do with Sinn Fein looking to be taken seriously as a political party and contender for election. They’re gaining traction and it’s not on the back of what they did in the north. People haven’t been interested in hearing about 32 counties for a long time. I don’t think Adams or McGuinness genuinely changed their opinion of that horrible, hate filled, vile, wretched man and if there is a hell I trust he is smouldering for eternity in it.
He was in his prime an ardent bigot and a not so closet racist . As an old man he mellowed but the hate he sowed and nurtured in his youth is still alive in Belfast and other places across the north. I cant understand why i feel sorry at his passing because i believe we all would have been better off if RIP had never been around to “STIR US UP”
have your say