Colin Parry
PEACE campaigner Colin Parry “applauded” Prince Charles for meeting Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at the start of his four-day visit to Ireland.
Mr Parry, who lost his 12-year-old-son Tim alongside three-year-old Johnathan Ball in the Warrington bombing in March 1993, has previously met Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness.
While not forgiving them for the death of his son, Mr Parry said it was important to look forward and not back, if there was ever going to be “normality.”
Mr Adams was among a number of politicians to greet the prince at a reception at National University of Ireland Galway.
It was the first ever meeting in the Republic of Ireland between Sinn Féin’s leadership and a member of the Royal Family.
Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness also had a private meeting with Prince Charles.The meeting took place after a handshake and was in a private room.
During the visit Prince Charles will be joined by the Duchess of Cornwall and visit the village of Mullaghmore in County Sligo – where his great-uncle, Earl Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979.
Meanwhile a protest involving about 40 people took place in Londonderry opposing the visit.
It included relatives of those killed by British armed forces on Bloody Sunday.
Mr McGuinness met the Queen in Belfast in his role as Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister in 2012.
The handshake between the Queen and the former IRA commander was considered historic.
