McGuinness hails bravery of First World War soldiers

He made the comment during the 30th Patrick MacGuill Summer School in Co Donegal, where he gave the annual John Hume lecture, saying the soldiers were part of a shared history and republicans had no desire to "erase the memory of their bravery".

He said: "This 30th Patrick MacGuill Summer School gathers as we enter the decade which marks the centenary of a number of defining events in Irish history including the Great Lockout of 1913, the Easter Rising, the Battle of the Somme, the Ulster Covenant and the Partition of Ireland. Nobody should be afraid of commemorating or debating these landmarks in our history.

"It is right to recognise the heroism of those who stood for the vision of the Irish republic articulated on Easter Sunday 1916. It is also right to recognise in the period ahead, the sacrifice of those Irishmen who fought in the First World War.

"While some may question the value of their actions no one can set aside the scale of the loss or doubt the personal tragedy. Republicans have no wish to erase the memory of their bravery or their part in Irish history.

"Many working class Irishmen fought in the British Army at that time because of the unrelenting poverty that they and their families experienced...Among the courageous Irishmen who gave their lives in that war also were those who fully believed in their actions and the choices they took. Their sacrifice and their loss are no less worthy of remembrance. The experiences of republicans, nationalists, unionists and all others form part of our collective memory.

"They are part of who we are as a community, as a nation. While we must remember these events we also must critically engage with our past."

Mr McGuinness used the occasion to repeat a call for an independent truth process in Northern Ireland.

He added: “The recent publication of the report of the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, the reaction of the new British Prime Minister David Cameron and the exoneration of the 14 people murdered on the streets of my home city that day has the potential to be a defining moment in such a process.

“Republicans caused much hurt during the conflict. I have acknowledged that and as a republican leader I accept my responsibilities both for the past, for building a new future and importantly for ensuring that the truth about the past is told – for the victims and survivors but also to ensure that mistakes are not repeated in the future.

“I repeat here tonight a call for the establishment of an independent international truth recovery process – one which is victim-centred and which can generate the confidence necessary for full participation.

“I along with other republican leaders have made it clear that we will participate in such a process. We now need the same commitment from the British Government and from unionist leaders. We need to go beyond simply telling the stories of the past 40 years. We need to examine the root causes of the conflict as well as the consequences.”