At 45, the young woman belongs to the generation of return to peace signed between Catholics and Protestants in 1998.
by
A smile full of dimples, a blond square and wise costumes: at 45, Michelle O’Neill, the vice-president of Sinn Fein is on the way to becoming the new Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Because for the first time in the history of the nation, part of the United Kingdom, the nationalist pro-reunification party of Ireland sent the greatest number of deputies to Stormont (the North Irish parliament), during the elections May 5 whose counting ended on Saturday May 7. Until now the first political force of Northern Ireland, the Unionist Dup party (in favor of maintaining the United Kingdom) will have to be satisfied with the post of Deputy Prime Minister.
For many North Irish, who have experienced the troubles -these thirty years of civil war between Catholics (mainly pro -reunification) and Protestants (Unionists) -, the Sinn Fein remains a toxic party, marked by its past support At the IRA (Irish Republican Army), the paramilitary training that fought and murdered for the unification of the island. But Michelle O’Neill, born Doris in the county of Cork (in the Republic of Ireland), belongs to the generation of return to peace: she also engaged in Sinn Fein at 21, in 1998, the ‘Year of the signing of the Friday Friday peace treaty.
Municipal councilor, deputy in Stormont (the North Irish assembly), Minister of Agriculture then Health, Michelle O’Neill has made her classes and accumulated experience, especially that of “Power Sharing” , this compulsory co -management system of Northern Ireland between nationalists and unionists, inheritance of the peace treaty. In January 2017, she replaced Deputy Prime Minister Martin McGuinness, ex-member of IRA and provisional IRA (very active dissident formation during the troubles), which became one of the architects of the Good Friday agreements. McGuinness had just resigned and announced, in the process, not to stand for health reasons (he died shortly after, in March 2017).
break with his sulphurous past
“I take my steps in those of a giant, then declared M me o’neill, about his predecessor. But I was never afraid of the challenges, I do not I was never afraid to act. “The fact that this woman without military past was chosen by the instances of Sinn Fein to succeed Mr. McGuinness was interpreted as a will of the party – present in the north and south of the Island to break with its sulfurous past. Michelle O’Neill was preferred to Conor Murphy, a former provisional IRA imprisoned for detention of explosives in the 1980s. Adolescent mother at 16, divorced, with two big children – Saoirse and Ryan -, Michelle O ‘ Neill also embodies a certain modernity.
You have 35.09% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.