Father Magill is right: Lyra McKee’s shocking death must not be in vain

Like the life that preceded it, Lyra McKee’s funeral was completely unique and utterly unforgettable.

Thousands of mourners from every community in Northern Ireland lined the streets of Belfast to pay our respects to the extraordinary young journalist, and to tell the world that we are not defined by our worst citizens, but by our best.

This sentiment was captured perfectly in Fr Martin Magill’s homily, which has since gone viral.

Addressing the politicians in the congregation, he asked why “in the name of God” did it take the death of a brilliant 29-year-old woman to bring them all together under one roof?

There was a sense of catharsis in the minute-long standing ovation that followed these words. Magill was voicing a frustration and despair that we have all been struggling with since last Thursday, when Lyra was shot to death while covering the riots in Derry’s Creggan estate.

The rise of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland has been no secret to those of us who live here. While Brexit negotiations have repeatedly failed to address the issue of the Irish border, there has been a palpable sense of anxiety across the province. Meanwhile, a chronic lack of political representation has left many communities feeling left out, while their futures are debated by Westminster politicians who can never understand the realities of living in a post-Troubles society.

In an act of sheer bravery, Magill addressed these politicians directly as he schooled them on the impact that years of political apathy have had on the people of Northern Ireland.

“The younger generation need jobs,” he said. “They need a better health service and education. They need a life – not a gun put in their hands.”

He referred to a recent report which found a correlation between paramilitary attacks in Northern Ireland and areas of social degradation: “Our young people need jobs,” he repeated. “As our politicians we need you to be working together to make that happen so they will feel the peace process is working for them as well.”

After the service, I watched as another priest made a beeline for Theresa May; I hope he was reiterating the message as May nodded in agreement. But the truth is, we have all been trying to tell May about the precarious nature of our peace for several years now.

We told her when we voted overwhelmingly against leaving the EU, amid concerns that it would undermine the Good Friday agreement and embolden domestic terrorists such as the New IRA.

We told her again when we voted for two polar-opposite parties in the last assembly elections – Sinn Fein and the DUP. Two parties so different that they have still not been able to find enough common ground to form a government, 829 days after the elections.

We told her through the #wedeservebetter campaign, which has called for Stormont politicians to get back to work and start addressing the very serious socio-economic issues that have plagued Northern Ireland for years.

And we told her again yesterday, when thousands of people from all communities stood together in peace and unity as Lyra was laid to rest.

Related: Lyra McKee: a letter to my 14-year-old self | Lyra McKee

Magill was speaking on behalf of all of us when he urged May, Arlene Foster, et al to get their priorities straight and start doing some good for the people of Northern Ireland before we lose more of our shining stars to needless acts of violence.

Did the message get through? Who knows. May did not stick around to speak to the scores of journalists who formed a guard of honour outside the cathedral.

So I asked the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar what impact Magill’s words might have had on the politicians who attended the service.

“We heard what was said,” he said. “And we hear what the community are saying too. Sometimes out of enormous tragedies can come new hope, so we’ll be engaging with the parties to see if there’s a way forward.”

It has since emerged that Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley plans to hold emergency discussions with Stormont’s party leaders this week, after previously saying that she would wait until after the local council elections on 2 May.

It is disgraceful that it took Lyra’s death to force our politicians into action. But if they can heed Magill’s message and remember the raw swell of emotion that followed his words, maybe some hope can come out of this tragedy after all.

• Kathryn Gaw is a journalist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland

• This article was amended on 25 April 2019 to replace an image whose caption misidentified Martin Magill.