"Make no mistake about it – there are people alive today who would not be alive had it not been for John’s vision and his work” - Fr Paul Farren at the Funeral Mass of the former leader of the SDLP.

“Today we are remembering a paragon of peace, a giant of a statesman whose legacy of unstinting service to the Common Good is internationally acclaimed, even though it is still perhaps only unfolding” - Archbishop Eamon Martin.

"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father" - President Zuma.