Gordon Wilson (peace campaigner)
Encyclopedia
Gordon Wilson was a draper
in Enniskillen
, County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
. During The Troubles
Wilson was injured and his daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day Bombing
on 8 November 1987.
Whereas many Northern Ireland terrorist attacks were followed by acts of revenge by opposing terrorists, the Remembrance Day bombing was followed by acts of forgiveness and reconciliation that came to be called the Spirit of Enniskillen. Gordon’s response to the bombing, "I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge", were reported worldwide and may be among the most-remembered from The Troubles' decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
in the Irish Free State
on 25 September 1927, a few years after the partition of Ireland
. His parents, George Wilson and Henrietta Conn married in 1926. Wilson was the eldest of four children, had a happy childhood in a strongly Methodist
household, with his three sisters Joan, Wilma and Dorothy. Educated at Wesley College, Dublin
, Wilson was a man of strong Christian
faith; he attended Enniskillen Methodist Church. He spent most of his adult life running the family drapery in High Street, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
He came to national and international prominence with an emotional television interview he gave to the BBC
only hours after the bombing in which he described his last conversation with his daughter, a nurse, as they both lay buried in rubble.
Wilson had many meetings with members of Sinn Féin
and one with representatives of the Provisional IRA, seeking the reasons for the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing. In Wilson's own view he failed to get a satisfactory answer. He also had several meetings with Loyalist paramilitaries in an attempt to persuade them to abandon violence.
Wilson died of a heart attack
in 1995, aged 67, survived by his wife, Joan, and their surviving children.
exploded a bomb at the town's war memorial (cenotaph
) during a Remembrance Sunday
ceremony held to honour those who were killed whilst serving in the British Armed Forces
. The explosion killed 11 people and injured 64, one of whom died from his injuries several years later.
The BBC has described the bombing as a turning point in The Troubles, and an attack that shook the IRA "to its core".. Pivotal to turning point was Wilson's reaction to the murder of his daughter Marie in an interview that he gave to the BBC only hours after her death. Wilson forgave the terrorists and said he would pray for them. He also begged that no-one took revenge for Marie's death and pleaded with Loyalists
not to do so.
In 1989 the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust was founded to run international programme for young people. The Trust gives Spirit of Enniskillen Bursaries to promote reconciliation in Northern Ireland. "The idea was to encourage young people aged between sixteen and nineteen from Northern Ireland to travel outside the Province and to use their experience to help build community bridges at home".
In 1993 Wilson, although a resident of Northern Ireland, was invited to become a member of Seanad Éireann
on the nomination of the then Taoiseach
, Albert Reynolds
.
On Remembrance Day 1997, Sinn Féin
leader Gerry Adams
formally apologised for the bombing.
Draper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
in Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. During The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
Wilson was injured and his daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day Bombing
Remembrance Day Bombing
The Remembrance Day bombing took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland...
on 8 November 1987.
Whereas many Northern Ireland terrorist attacks were followed by acts of revenge by opposing terrorists, the Remembrance Day bombing was followed by acts of forgiveness and reconciliation that came to be called the Spirit of Enniskillen. Gordon’s response to the bombing, "I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge", were reported worldwide and may be among the most-remembered from The Troubles' decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
Personal Life
William Gordon Wilson was born in the town of Manorhamilton in County LeitrimCounty Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
in the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
on 25 September 1927, a few years after the partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
. His parents, George Wilson and Henrietta Conn married in 1926. Wilson was the eldest of four children, had a happy childhood in a strongly Methodist
Methodist Church in Ireland
The Methodist Church in Ireland is a Wesleyan Methodist church that operates across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on an all Ireland basis, It is the 4th largest Christian denomination in both jurisdictions and on the island as a whole...
household, with his three sisters Joan, Wilma and Dorothy. Educated at Wesley College, Dublin
Wesley College, Dublin
This article is about Wesley College in Dublin, Ireland. See Wesley College for articles on other institutions named "Wesley College"....
, Wilson was a man of strong Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith; he attended Enniskillen Methodist Church. He spent most of his adult life running the family drapery in High Street, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
He came to national and international prominence with an emotional television interview he gave to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
only hours after the bombing in which he described his last conversation with his daughter, a nurse, as they both lay buried in rubble.
Wilson had many meetings with members of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and one with representatives of the Provisional IRA, seeking the reasons for the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing. In Wilson's own view he failed to get a satisfactory answer. He also had several meetings with Loyalist paramilitaries in an attempt to persuade them to abandon violence.
Wilson died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1995, aged 67, survived by his wife, Joan, and their surviving children.
Remembrance Sunday 1987
The Remembrance Day bombing (also known as the Enniskillen bombing or Poppy Day massacre) was carried out on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen. The Provisional IRAProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
exploded a bomb at the town's war memorial (cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
) during a Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
ceremony held to honour those who were killed whilst serving in the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
. The explosion killed 11 people and injured 64, one of whom died from his injuries several years later.
The BBC has described the bombing as a turning point in The Troubles, and an attack that shook the IRA "to its core".. Pivotal to turning point was Wilson's reaction to the murder of his daughter Marie in an interview that he gave to the BBC only hours after her death. Wilson forgave the terrorists and said he would pray for them. He also begged that no-one took revenge for Marie's death and pleaded with Loyalists
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
not to do so.
The Aftermath
William Ury wrote in his 1999 book The Third Side:In an interview with the BBC, Wilson described with anguish his last conversation with his daughter and his feelings toward her killers: "She held my hand tightly, and gripped me as hard as she could. She said, 'Daddy, I love you very much.' Those were her exact words to me, and those were the last words I ever heard her say." To the astonishment of listeners, Wilson went on to add, "But I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead. She's in heaven and we shall meet again. I will pray for these men tonight and every night." As historian Jonathan BardonJonathan BardonJonathan Bardon , OBE, is an Irish historian and author.-Early life:Bardon was born in Dublin in 1941 and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1963. Shortly thereafter, in 1964, he moved to Belfast to begin his teaching career at Orangefield Boys Secondary School...
recounts, "No words in more than twenty-five years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful, emotional impact."
In 1989 the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust was founded to run international programme for young people. The Trust gives Spirit of Enniskillen Bursaries to promote reconciliation in Northern Ireland. "The idea was to encourage young people aged between sixteen and nineteen from Northern Ireland to travel outside the Province and to use their experience to help build community bridges at home".
In 1993 Wilson, although a resident of Northern Ireland, was invited to become a member of Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
on the nomination of the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
.
On Remembrance Day 1997, Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
leader Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
formally apologised for the bombing.
The Spirit Of Enniskillen Trust
In a deeply divided community the Spirit Of Enniskillen Trust works to support young people to lead dialogue, learning and working towards a shared society. To do this it supports a sequence of inter-linked projects working with young people in their schools, their communities and other divided regions internationally. The Trust also provides background facilitative leadership training, mentoring and resource support for school pupils, young volunteer facilitators, parents and teachers. All Trust learning activities are led by experienced and committed young volunteers.External links
- The day I lost my daughter - Gordon Wilson's wife, Joan, mother of the youngest victim of the 1987 Enniskillen bombing, recalls the day of the IRA attack (Episode 2: 10 Days of Terror is broadcast on April 2008 on BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
). - The Spirit Of Enniskillen Trust