First Minister Michelle O’Neill has this morning laid a laurel wreath at Belfast City Hall as part of today’s Remembrance Sunday event to remember " all lives lost in the horror of war and conflict - past and present".
Ms O’Neill is the first senior Sinn Féin figure to take part in an official Remembrance Sunday ceremony and did so amid criticism from relatives of people killed by the British state forces and loyalists.
The message on the wreath laid by Ms O’Neill reads:
*As First Minister I wish to take our society beyond old limits, to build-bridges, and to a shared future together.
“Today I remember all lives lost in the horror of war and conflict - past and present.”
In a statement released on social media this morning, Sinn Féin’s leader in the north said she is “committed to representing everyone equally“.
“Through my words and actions, I will honour that commitment,” the statement said.
“Today, I will attend the Remembrance event at Belfast City Hall to remember the tens of thousands of people from across our island who lost their lives in the First World War and in subsequent conflicts.
“We each have our own identity, experiences, and perspectives.
“As an Irish republican who believes in a united Ireland, I have my own perspective also.
“As we move towards a better future I am committed as First Minister to moving beyond old limits and building bridges.
“It is through understanding and respect for our differences that we can build a stronger, respectful, and united society.
“I will never shy away from my responsibility to take decisions - no matter how personally challenging - that will help build a new Ireland, defined by inclusion and respect for all traditions.”
Hundreds of people lined the streets outside City Hall as British Armed Forces members participated in the ceremony.
More than 100 close relatives of IRA members and civilians killed during the Troubles signed a statement criticising the decision to attend today’s event.
Earlier this week, more than 100 relatives of people who died in incidents that claimed more than 60 lives in Co Tyrone signed a statement voicing their “devastation” at the plan by the Sinn Féin vice-president to honour Britain’s war dead.
The statement was circulated around the county earlier this week by a relative of a loyalist murder victim and later endorsed by dozens of other bereaved loved ones.
Ms O’Neill was joined by DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at the commemoration event.
Elsewhere, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn attended the annual Remembrance Sunday commemoration at Enniskillen, where hundreds gathered to pay their respects.
Eleven people who had gathered to pay their respects to the war dead were killed and dozens injured in the no-warning blast on November 8 1987, minutes before the Remembrance Sunday ceremony was due to start.
A 12th victim of the Poppy Day bombing died 13 years later having never woken from a coma.
Taosieach Simon Harris said he decided not to attend the commemoration on advice from officials that it would not be attended by the senior representatives of the Executive.
Mr Harris’s absence was a rare break with the tradition of the sitting Taoiseach attending the event. The commemoration falls two days after he formally announced an election in the Republic.
The Dublin government was represented by Mr Harris’s Fine Gael party colleague and Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, who is not seeking re-election.
A range of other events to pay tribute to the war dead took place across the north on Sunday.
Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins said he would lay a wreath in remembrance of all those who have died in war as he attends the National Service of Remembrance in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald also said she would attend the Dublin service.