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2019 Tributes Paid To Nora Quoirin At Mary Lou McDonald Calls Johnson’s
Brexit Plans ‘Profoundly Stupid’
11th, Funeral Service In Belfast

September teenager found dead in a priest Fr Edward O’Donnell, must do: ‘What is the meaning

of this terrible pain that has
who was joined by Fr Pat Kelly,
Malaysianjungleaftergoing
ly?’
was a gentle and innocent child
Addressing a packed church,
| Amissing on a family holiday Nora’s great uncle. been inflicted on Nora’s fami-
Fr O’Donnell reflected on the
whogiftedotherswithimmeasur-
“We have, have we not,
EXAMINER able love, her funeral service has girl’s baptism as he told mourn- found ourselves wondering: if
ers of the joy Nora had brought
heard.
God is good and has for us the
to her family in her short life.
Family and friends of Nora
love that no human love can
He described her as “gentle
IRISH Quoirin gathered in Belfast to and innocent”. match, why then is there such
suffering in our world?
say farewell in the church
“Nora was very special, she
where she was baptized as a
“We do not understand, and
baby, St Brigid’s. brought so much joy to Meabh our stumbling words are so ter-
Nora was found dead after a and Sebastien, to her sister, ribly inadequate.” C
10-day search around the Innes, and to Maurice her Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has said UK
Malaysian jungle resort of brother, and to those of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is following a Brexit “fantasy”,
Dusun last month. wider family circle,” he said. and that his plan is “profoundly stupid and immeasurably
The teenager – who was “She, as we all know, dangerous”.
born with the brain defect holo- depended greatly on others but, Speaking at her party’s away day in Dundalk, Co Louth,
prosencephaly and was Nora in turn gifted others with Ms McDonald said: “British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
described by her family as “vul- immeasurable love and joy; follows a fantasy in which the rights and interests of the Irish
nerable” – disappeared on before such an ability we can people can be cast aside.
August 4. only feel gratitude. “It is time to call Mr Johnson’s fantasy for what it is – pro-
Nora lived in London and “Today we return to St foundly stupid and immeasurably dangerous.”
was the daughter of French- Brigid’s united in the unspeak- She added: “Mr Johnson’s stupid, dangerous fantasy can-
Irish parents Sebastien and able pain of Nora’s tragic death, not become Ireland’s nightmare, because Brexit is a very
Meabh Quoirin. united too in wordless sympa- English problem and the consequences of it cannot be shift-
The principal celebrant for thy for Nora’s family. ed on to Ireland.”
the funeral service was parish “I ask myself, as surely you Ms McDonald also said Ireland faces “its greatest threat
and challenge in a generation”.
“As October 31 approaches, neither an Taoiseach (Leo
Varadkar) or (EU chief Brexit negotiator) Michel Barnier can
blink in the face of Tory intransigence, because too much is
at stake,” she said.
Ms McDonald said Mr Johnson’s Brexit plan would lead to
a hard border on the island of Ireland.
She said: “Despite Mr Johnson’s claims to the contrary, the
path he is leading would lead us to a hard border. The British
Prime Minister needs to hear this.
“The Irish people will not allow our country, our commu-
nities, our economy or our peace to be vandalized by him.
“There can be no return to a hard border, customs checks,
and no more division on this island to suit the needs of a
British Government that has no interest in Ireland’s future.”
DUP leader Arlene Foster has said her party was working
with Mr Johnson to find a deal that sees Northern Ireland
leave the EU with the rest of the UK.
Ms Foster said a Northern Ireland-only backstop would
mean one part of the UK would be left in the customs union
and subject to the rules of the single market without any con-
sent.
But Ms McDonald said “no viable alternative exists to the
backstop”.
“It is not perfect by any means but it’s the least worst
option and broad Irish opinion supports that,” she said.
“This isn’t about us stamping our feet, this is a compro-
mise solution, a minimum insurance policy.
“I believe that despite DUP rhetoric to the contrary, broad
Irish opinion north and south understands that and supports
that.
“If the DUP were representing northern citizens and soci-
ety well they would recognize that. They are very much
adrift from the consensus position in the north and the
south.”
Ms McDonald added that preparations must now be made
for a united Ireland and that her party will run on an absten-
tionist ticket.
“No true Irish republican would ever take a seat in the
British Parliament, much less swear an oath to the British
crown,” she said.C