Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join in expressing condolences and paying tribute to the contribution which Martin McGuinness made to the lives of all on this island in moving through our history and shaping our future together. In my small number of encounters with him, Martin McGuinness was a very warm, generous and engaging person. He was somebody who knew what it was to live in history and have the weight of history on him and yet to rise continually to the challenge of each moment and to the new challenge of each moment.

We have heard of the contribution Martin McGuinness made in recognising that permanent conflict was not the answer in bringing an end to violence in Northern Ireland and negotiating the Good Friday Agreement. There has been much talk of the historic moment of his handshake with the UK Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II. While that was a historic moment, alongside that was the great challenge of all the many other moments of building and sustaining relationships, of being able to work in partnership with Ian Paisley and David Trimble and so many others. That is something that needs to be commemorated because that can be the greatest challenge, to go again and again into each new situation and to overcome constant obstacles with a genuine faith in the importance of institution building, peace building, and community regeneration and engagement. What made him able to have those meaningful relationships across all sides was the honesty he brought to his approach and his acknowledgement of suffering - the suffering of his own community and that of other communities - as well as his ability to acknowledge good intent and that it could come from each different side.

Seamus Heaney spoke of hope and history. It is something that Martin McGuinness quoted at length himself, but he never took for granted the power and the fragility of democracy and peace. Having been at sporting, musical and cultural occasions with him, I saw that he really cherished the dividend of democratic engagement and of the peace process. Having been radicalised to a large extent by his experiences in the terrible events of Bloody Sunday, it meant a huge amount to him to see Derry as a city of culture, to see it recognised in its full potential, and to see it as an example of what the full flowering of community across the island could be.

We heard about the journey he had taken. It is incredibly sad to think that there will not be, as there should be, a further chapter in his journey, one where he would have time with his family and in which he could contribute in further and different ways, having given literally all of his life to the challenge of trying to build a republic in different ways.

I note Martin McGuinness's comments in 2012 when he spoke of the journey we all have to take. That is a journey that we, on this island, are still on. It is a journey from the past, because there are many who are still bereaved and there are many who still have questions that need answers. There are many raw residues of our conflict that still need resolution. Most crucially, however, he will be missed in the future given the challenges we have now to work together to build peace, recognising that peace is both precious and fragile, not only on our island but across Europe and the world, to work for democracy, to recognise the democratic institutions and the need to build, restore and earn trust and inspire participation, and to have the ongoing debate about what a real republic might be and how we can deliver and be part of a republic together.

I celebrate Martin McGuinness's contribution and pass my deepest condolences to Bernadette and his family.