A woodturner from the Conamara Gaeltacht is the artist of choice of Rev Ian Paisley’s family to create a memorial honouring his life as a politician and church leader.
The work of Liam O'Neill from An Spidéal, Co Galway, was unveiled at a ceremony in Belfast on Saturday, 6 April, the birthday of Dr Paisley, who died in September 2014.
The behind-the-scenes story of Liam O'Neill’s collaboration with Rev Paisley’s widow, Eileen, and their daughter, Rhonda, is told in a special edition of Nationwide tonight (RTÉ1, 7pm).
It includes an interview with Eileen Paisley during which she discusses:
- Her husband’s life and times;
- Friendships with former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, President Michael D Higgins, former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin;
- A recent meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and how friendship cuts through all divisions;
- And how her late husband would have handled the Brexit question "differently".
The Paisleys have in their Belfast home a wooden bowl presented to them at political negotiations in St Andrews, Scotland, in October 2013. They call it "the Bertie bowl".
It was a gift presented to them by the then taoiseach to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Ian and Eileen Paisley.
The bowl was crafted from a fallen tree at the Battle of the Boyne site in Co Louth. Woodturner Liam O'Neill carried out the work at his studio in Galway.
Thirteen years before, president Mary Robinson, brought a wooden bowl made by Liam to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II when she became the first Irish President to be received at Buckingham Palace.
The Paisleys struck up a friendship with Liam O'Neill and his wife, Cathy, after the "Bertie bowl" was given a special place in their Belfast living room.
Soon after Dr Paisley died in 2014, a huge and much-loved Wych Elm tree fell in the Paisleys' back garden.
It was Rhonda Paisley who came up with the idea that Liam O'Neill might create a memorial to her late father from the wood of the fallen tree.
Liam has been working on the project for several months. He enlisted the help of a famous wood carver, Philip Steele, who is based in Bangor, Co Down.
Philip was trained in London and the pieces he has contributed to the memorial project include delicately crafted images of flax, the emblem of the Northern Ireland Assembly and five wooden stars, commemorating the five terms Ian Paisley served as a member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Philip has also carved the lettering on the five circular phases Liam O'Neill has created to signify five key chapters of Ian Paisley’s life.
The O'Neill work also includes a globe, marking the reach achieved by the Free Presbyterian Church founded by Rev Paisley and a figure, built to his exact height.
It is likely that the memorial’s long-term home will be the Bannside Library, where sections of Ian Paisley’s writings and some of his vast collection of books are on display, around the corner from his family home.
"Friendship cuts through all divisions" says Eileen Paisley of her late husband, Rev Ian Paisley. But would he have been a Remainer, or would he have voted Leave? https://t.co/gpMkQEgYkz pic.twitter.com/WvXdBIoPfj
— Morning Ireland (@morningireland) April 8, 2019
Some views expressed by Eileen Paisley in the Nationwide programme:
In relation to Brexit, would Rev Ian Paisley have been a Remainer or a Leaver?
"He used Europe to bring a better way of life to Northern Ireland. He did everything he could to help the people who were doing the hard work in Northern Ireland.
"He used that very, very well for farmers and for every other business that he could do. I don't know whether he would have considered this the right time to have left Europe or not. I don't know that.
"He wasn't in total agreement with Europe because he thought a lot of our freedoms were taken away from us in Europe and he wasn't at all happy about that.
"I expect he would have been a Brexiteer, but he wouldn't have done it the way it is being done. He would have organised it much better."
About her recent meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar:
"He was coming to Northern Ireland and he said he wanted to meet me. He took a tremendous interest in the Bannside Library. I found him an absolute gentleman.
"That's another friendship that was struck up. You don't have to agree 100% with people or their politics or that to be friends. Friendship cuts through all divisions."
About former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern:
"We struck up a friendship. He made us feel very welcome."
Of relationships with former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, about the relationship with Martin McGuinness and conversations with Gerry Adams, of meetings with President Michael D Higgins at Farmleigh and in Belfast:
"Those were lovely - very good relations. We met Michael Higgins in Belfast City Hall. It has just been lovely to have that friendship, bringing the two parts of Ireland and the leaders in it together. It was really very, very special."
About her late husband's role in power-sharing:
"Things did change at that time more than they did in a long time. I had people from the south of Ireland writing to me, meeting me and saying 'your husband has made such a difference'.
"In fact when we went to Dublin and we went to Cork ... that was really overwhelming. We met people in Cork who said you should have been here 20 years ago."
About a speech she made at the Battle of the Boyne site, recalling her thoughts as she saw Ireland from the air:
"I was really tired of the heat and the pressure of the time we had been in America, although we enjoyed it. Just getting a sight of what we know as the Emerald Isle, I thought I just wish I could jump down there and swim home the rest of the way.
"That was my feeling - I was so glad to be home and it didn't matter what part of Ireland I landed in, as long as I got back on the island."
Nationwide will air on RTÉ1 at 7pm this evening.
