The readers of the Andersonstown News will be sharing the sorrow of the Fitt family this morning as they mourn the death of the family head and former West Belfast MP, Gerry.
While his political views by the end of his faltering career were as far removed from those of the people of West Belfast as it's possible to imagine, there remains a fondness for the hard-working, hard-partying public representative who was of an older political era.
In Gerry's day, it was a feat in itself for a working class man to be elected to Belfast Corporation or to Stormont, never mind to Westminster, and the voters were inclined to step back and let their man get on with the job of cutting deals with the powers-that-be.
At that Gerry was remarkably adept.
Before his fall from political grace, there was no one more efficient at helping a constituent get a house or have their benefits reinstated. But then the times moved on and parish pump politics didn't cut the mustard any more. As a result, Gerry found himself left behind as nationalism — a philosophy he never shared — emerged resurgent.
At the end, the avowed republican and socialist found himself playing the role of token Paddy in an establishment which is the very opposite of everything which republicanism and socialism stand for.
While his political legacy will be mulled over this week the reality is that Gerry Fitt stepped off the stage almost 25 years ago.
Ar dheis láimh Dé go raibh sé.
