I never thought I would see the day. I'm glad I have, though. Ian Paisley actually agreeing to work with Sinn Fein, that is!
Watched by dignitaries from Britain, Ireland, the United States and elsewhere, the Rev. Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionists, the dominant party among Northern Ireland’s Protestants, and Martin McGuinness, of the republican and mainly Catholic Sinn Fein party, were sworn in as leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the Northern Ireland executive government.
“Today, we will witness not hype but history,” Mr. McGuinness proclaimed.
Mr. Paisley, once the most strident voice of Protestant opposition to peace efforts, told reporters, “while this is a sad day for all the innocent victims of all the Troubles, yet it is a special day because we are making a new beginning.”
“I believe we are starting on a road to bring us back to peace and prosperity,” he added.
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