John refused to walk on by when he saw injustice and conflict on the streets of his own city. He knew what needed to be done for peace, and he did it. Even when it was hard and even when it seemed impossible, John kept going. Thank God he did.

It’s impossible to imagine what growing up in Belfast would’ve been like without him, his determination, and his commitment to thinking big.

In the coming days there will be much talk of John being a hero, a giant, a statesman. That is all absolutely true. However, I think it’s also important to remember that John was a human being before all that, a human who felt the pain of every death. And still he kept going.

John’s success is that if we continue to try to live by his values - we won’t need someone like him again. We won’t need someone to stand in the middle of violence and mayhem and dedicate their life to putting an end to it.

A working class boy from Derry who changed a country and changed the world with his ideas and sheer force of will. What a man. What a privilege it is to have been alive at the same time as him and to campaign for the political party he helped found. RIP. We will miss you.