Northern Ireland political leaders pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II was hailed for her contribution to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland following the announcement of her death on Thursday.

Tributes were paid to the monarch from across the political divide and deepest condolences extended to her family.

Sinn Féin’s deputy leader and Northern Ireland’s first minister designate, Michelle O’Neill, praised Queen Elizabeth’s “significant contribution and determined efforts to advancing peace and reconciliation between our two islands.”

Praising the monarch’s “warmth and courtesy” when they met, Ms O’Neill said that “throughout the peace process she led by example in building relationships with those of us who are Irish, and who share a different political allegiance and aspirations to her.”

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DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the queen’s visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 had been “ground-breaking.”

He said her “visits to my constituency in Royal Hillsborough invoke precious memories for the residents and for all of us and I know her death will be felt acutely in that village.”

Mr Donaldson said he remembered with “fondness her speech in 2011 where she again referred to her Christian convictions and reminded us that forgiveness lies at the heart of her faith and that “it can reconcile divided communities.”

“Her Majesty led by example in Northern Ireland and reached out the hand of friendship to help with the reconciliation process. We are duty bound to build on that foundation,” he said.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Queen Elizabeth was “one of the most consequential civic figures of the last century” and her “influence on Ireland, our people and our peace cannot be underestimated.

“She, too, experienced the sharp pain of loss following the murder of her uncle in Mullaghmore but in common with the people of Ireland remained committed to reconciliation between our islands.

“That commitment was demonstrated powerfully and publicly during her visit in 2011 and particularly the quiet dignity on show during her visit to the garden of remembrance,” he said.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the queen was “one of the figures who came to define the 20th century, as well as a large part of the 21st, due not only to her longevity but her commitment and dedication to the country and Commonwealth.

“The majority of us have only ever known her in the role of sovereign and it will be incredibly strange to not see her there carrying out her duties.”

She praised her “tireless” work and “selfless dedication” to the service of her country and said this was “only one of the aspects of her life which will remain as her lasting legacy.”

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said the queen was “a regular visitor to Northern Ireland in good times and bad, and even during the decades of violence she was determined to come here to see her people and, in the process, provide comfort and reassurance.

“Her State visit to the Republic of Ireland in May 2011 went a long way to healing old wounds and normalising relations between two close neighbours and indicated very clearly her great wisdom and sound instincts,” he said.

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister said that “to the nation and almost everyone alive she has been an intrinsic part of our lives” and it was a “very sad day in the life of our nation.”

Books of condolence are expected to be opened in Belfast City Hall and in civic locations across the North.

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Reverend John McDowell, described the queen’s death as “unimaginable” after she had sat so long on the British throne.

“I was privileged to be there when, on her Diamond Jubilee visit to Enniskillen, she walked the twenty yards from the Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Macartin and into St Michael’s Roman Catholic church,” Rev McDowell said. “Barely a hundred paces, but a walk which covered countless miles in the long and unfinished journey of peace on these islands.”

He also said her “affection for Ireland as a whole was clear for all to see during the memorable state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011″ and highlighted her speech during the state banquet in Dublin Castle.

“That in the past ‘we would have done things differently or not done them at all’ and that ‘we should bow to the past but not be bound by it’ have been little gems of hope to many peacemakers in the following years.

“That they came from someone who had felt the tragedy of Ireland so close to hand and who had lived through the uncertainties of a World War, when the outcome was often far from clear, gave her words an unchallengeable authority,” he said.