Sir, – When the crocodiles and alligators of Northern Ireland enter the room to talk about a new government formation they should take a deep breath, make a momentary silent pause and think of the late Gordon Wilson.
The younger generation might need to be reminded of the words that Gordon Wilson, a simple draper in Enniskillen Co Fermanagh, spoke about his daughter Marie’s final words to him as she held his hand tightly in the midst of rubble following the horrible bomb triggered indiscriminately by the Provisional IRA in 1987 that killed 11 innocent people.
In a BBC interview he said: “She held my hand tightly and gripped me as hard as she could. She said, ‘Daddy, I love you very much’. Those were her exact words to me and those were the last words I ever heard her say. But I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She’s dead. She’s in heaven and we shall meet again. I will pray for these men tonight and every night.”
Gordon Wilson was a man of peace, and rightly so. He was recognised as a giant among giants of world peace across the globe, until his death from a heart attack in 1995.
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Making peace and preserving life is dependent on real leadership and not pandering to pressure groups and party hacks.
I hope the recently democratically elected representatives in Northern Ireland will take heed of the late Gordon Wilson and ensure that his words and those of his treasured Marie still hold some meaning in today’s vain social-media driven society. – Yours, etc,
PADRAIC CAFFERTY,
Sutton, Dublin 13.