Tears on the Hill, A Sign of Strength

How wonderful was it to see tears in Stormont, especially from one of our leaders, our deputy First Minister? To openly witness, although just a glimpse, that our leaders, our politicians, are real, are human, are more than green and orange… was wonderful to see.

Monday 30 March 2020

The present Stormont estate was established in 1830 by the Reverend John Cleland in the early nineteenth century as the result of an advantageous marriage and reputedly ill-gotten gains.

Fast forward to March 2020, now it is the home of our devolved Assembly, home to the murky world of politics and in a world dominated by a lethal virus! Yet amidst all this, in Stormont there was light, light that for me came in the form Tears.

How wonderful was it to see tears in Stormont, especially from one of our leaders, our deputy First Minister? To openly witness, although just a glimpse, that our leaders, our politicians, are real, are human, are more than green and orange… was wonderful to see. I hope those who felt uncomfortable by the display of emotion will learn from it. We all need to learn to embrace emotion, and like many other people to see hope and compassion in an open and honest reaction to a truly horrendous situation for a young mother.

We women are emotional, and that makes us amazing. Crying is a sign of strength, not weakness. Crying is the body's way to reduce and process emotional stress.

So, I say to Michelle O Neill, well done. You did not talk rubbish, waffle, lie or avoid the answer, you actually gave a full open, honest and emotional answer, who knew that was possible in today’s politics.

Thank you, Michelle, from all the women who hold in their emotions, all the women afraid to cry in a business world, in a leadership role, maybe next time they will be strong enough to cry.

Roseann Kelly, MBE.

Chief Executive, Women in Business.

Monday 30 March 2020