I honour the Irish mother who, some years ago publicly condemned the sectarian slaughter, was tortured, murdered and is now surely in the company of the saints.
I honour the thousands of Protestant and Catholic mothers who did the same when they took to the streets of Belfast recently. Three hundred years is too long to hate, too long of provoking, too long of killing and maiming.
I honour the Coleraine widow, brutally assaulted trying to save her husband, and yet she said her husband would want 'no retaliation'. I honour also the local minister who attended her husband's funeral.
I honour other mourners who declared no retaliation, including Gordon Wilson, whom I sat beside in Enniskillen's Methodist Church.
I honour Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness who changed from malice and hate to peace and reconciliation.
I honur and thank the many kind folk who shared their car with this Catholic hitch hiker, as over a number of years I attended services in 100 churches of nine denominations in the north and south.
I honour and thank those who made me welcome, encouraged me, enjoyed my singing, including the Catholic choir at Newry who allowed me to join them for carols at midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
The Newry Methodist couple who kindly invited me to Christmas dinner and kind invites to a meal by a Dromore Presbyterian family of tractor dealers, Seventh Day Adventists at Derry and Enniskillen, a Catholic family at Loughinisland, the wife and minister of Belfast's Methodist Church in the civic square, an Evangelical retired farmer and wife near Enniskillen, a retired Catholic computer manufacturer and a traveller on the Larne to Belfast train who invited me to breakfast.
I was grateful to Peggy at Newry who had space for bed and breakfast when a number of hotels and guest houses didn't have room - because it was Christmas. Reminded me of a couple who had had the same problem, many years ago. Others were kind and none more so than the lady owner of an Omagh hostel at Waterworks Road who is welcoming to all patrons and often gave me a lift when I was in a hurry.
What wonderful memories.
Robert Darroch
