Frank Feely: Seamus Mallon was a man of great moral and physical courage. He was a giant of Irish politics

I had been his ‘wing man’ during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations in 1998.

I was proud to be by Seamus’s side for the last 50 years and especially the last few weeks.

I will cherish those final special moments with him last week for the rest of my days.

Seamus is a political legend.

I witnessed his outstanding ability as an orator and negotiator at first hand.

A giant of Irish politics.

A man of great moral and physical courage who through his dogged determination ensured that parallel consent and respect for each other became the cornerstones of the Good Friday Agreement.

Like the agreement, Seamus’s legacy will endure.

The agreement and a new police service are just two of his finest achievements for which he will be remembered. But I will remember him as a dear friend and colleague who I will miss terribly.

Ar dheis De go araibh a anam. Ní bhi a leithead ann arís go deo.

Frank Feely, Former mayor of Newry, Co Armagh