SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has paid tribute to the party’s former deputy leader, Seamus Mallon, on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
The Foyle MLA said paying tribute to the North’s first Deputy First Minister was “a difficult business.”
He added: “It is hard to fully encapsulate the magnitude of his life’s work and the central role he played in bringing an end to the death and despair which has wrapped itself amongst Irish history for generations.
“There’s another reason though why it’s so difficult.
“Whatever concoction of words you come up with, you do so in the full knowledge that Seamus himself would say it better.
“As long as I have known and followed him, that has always been one of Seamus’ great gifts.
“No matter how complex or tense the circumstance, Seamus always found a language rooted in both reality and in wisdom.
“That remains a scarce quality and therefore it remains all the more valuable.
“Politics is too often a business filled with a surplus of sugary words and gestures.
“As we all know, there is no danger of that with Seamus.
“Seamus’ voice is authentic. That is why people listen when he speaks.
“That was true of him as a young teacher in Armagh. It was true of him as an MP and as Deputy First Minister.
“It continues to be true of him at 80.
“He’s still well worth a listen.”
Mr Eastwood continued: “That’s what I continue to do as SDLP leader.
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