A priest at Lyra McKee's funeral "was moved to tears"

The Catholic priest who criticized the political leaders of Northern Ireland at the funeral of Lyra McKee said that he had been reduced to tears after the service.

Father Martin Magill was moved after a family member of the murdered journalist thanked him for his political message and homage to Ms. McKee.

He said he was "surprised" by the standing ovation he received during his funeral speech.

His remarks touched a global audience of social media, television and radio.

Lyra McKee was shot dead during a riot in Londonderry on April 18th.

His funeral took place in St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on Wednesday.

In less than 48 hours, Prime Minister Theresa May and Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar issued a joint statement setting out a new process of talks aimed at restoring the transfer of power in Northern Ireland.

In an interview with BBC News NI, Father Magill spoke in detail about his funeral speech.

Asked what inspired his difficult question for the political leaders, he replied that it was during a telephone conversation with the Rev. Harold Good, former president of the Methodist Church, who participated in the peace process in Ireland. North.

"I just wanted to take advantage of the wisdom of his years and his experience," he said.

"I just wanted to have another opinion about it (the address of the funeral).

"It's in this phone conversation that the issue has emerged."

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Father Magill said he was "surprised" by the reaction of his speech and was "not expecting it to happen at all".

"I was surprised by that," he said.

"I did not know anything, I phoned a friend, Reverend Steve Stockman, later.

"It was after coming from the grave, I had phoned Steve and he said," I think it's viral. "

The priest said that if "there is a common message that pbades through the many messages that I have received, it would be something like" you spoke for us ".

"It touched people and people got up to recognize him," he added.

& # 39; Moved to tears & # 39;

"I pushed something and I had the impression that a feeling of energy had been released and I did it without knowing it with my words. "

Father Magill testified that members of Mrs. McKee's family thanked him for his speech.

"But I guess I was particularly moved when one of Lyra's nephews, David, aged eleven, approached me, shaking my hand, thanking me for the beautiful things that I had said about her aunt and also thanking me for the message I gave, "he said.

"I'm completely taken aback by that, I did not expect an 11-year-old to do it and I guess to be very honest, it really moved me to tears."

Father Magill stated that he "did not want children to live the kind of childhood I had (they had), go to school in North Belfast and in chaos … I do not want to see that anymore. "

"I suppose that the agreement on Good Friday, for example, is to offer us a different future, not to have dead like Lyra," he added.

"The amount of suffering that people have, and they still wear it so far, I want to see the end of it."

& # 39; My call & # 39;

Father Magill also responded to criticism by some that it was a pastoral day and not a political day.

"I started recognizing the pain of Sara (Lyra's partner), the pain of her mother, her brothers and sisters," he said.

"At first I concentrated on Lyra.

"But I am also very aware that as a baptized Christian, there is a prophetic role, which is part of my calling."

He said he was "surprised" when he learned that 48 hours later, the British and Irish governments had announced a new negotiating process.

"Now I'm not going to take it," he says.

"I am aware that party leaders have written to the secretary of state.

"It was not really my words as such, it was what people did.

"What they did in the cathedral applauding and getting up … they literally made politicians move."

His message to the politicians was "to think of the common good, to think of all of us, to play their part".

"I congratulated Lyra for her stubbornness," he said.

"I will come back to it.

"We need this obstinacy.

"More Lyras."