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Former SDLP leader John Hume has been hailed as Ireland\u2019s Martin Luther King after his death at the age of 83.<\/p>\nFormer SDLP leader John Hume has been hailed as Ireland\u2019s Martin Luther King after his death at the age of 83.<\/p>\n
Mr Hume was a key architect of Northern Ireland\u2019s historic Good Friday peace agreement and was awarded the Nobel Prize for the decisive part he played in ending the Troubles.<\/p>\n
The former Foyle MP, who had dementia and in recent years had lived in a care home in Derry, died in the early hours of Monday morning.<\/p>\n
His funeral will take place in his native Derry on Wednesday morning in a ceremony limited in size due to coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n
President Michael D Higgins said Mr Hume had transformed and remodeled politics in Ireland, while Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said he was a \u201cgreat hero and a true peacemaker\u201d.<\/p>\n
Former British prime minister Tony Blair hailed Mr Hume\u2019s \u201cepic\u201d contribution to the peace process and former US president Bill Clinton insisted his legacy would live on.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill also paid tribute.<\/p>\n
Current SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who represents the Foyle seat Mr Hume held for two decades, said the island had lost its most significant and consequential political figure of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
As he signed a book of condolence in Derry on Monday, Mr Eastwood compared his political hero to the famous US civil rights leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Hume was our Martin Luther King,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the greatest Irishman ever and he achieved something that no one could ever achieve before him: he ended the Anglo-Irish conflict, the conflict that had gone on for 800 years, and he gave my generation the opportunity to achieve our political goals peacefully and democratically, and that is an enormous legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Hume, a former MEP for Northern Ireland, was a founding member of the party he went on to lead for 22 years.<\/p>\n
He was a key figure in the civil rights campaigns of the late 1960s and also played a leading role in the formation of the credit union movement in his home city.<\/p>\n
Throughout his political career he remained steadfast in his commitment to non-violence.<\/p>\n
His participation in secret talks with then Sinn F\u00e9in president Gerry Adams in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a key catalyst for the nascent peace process.<\/p>\n
The SDLP leader faced intense criticism, including some from within his own party, when his dialogue with Mr Adams became public in 1993.<\/p>\n
Despite threats to his life, he persisted with his efforts to engage with the republican movement and to convince the IRA to end its campaign of violence.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Mr Adams paid tribute to Mr Hume\u2019s \u201cbravery\u201d and \u201cpersistence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have all lost a friend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The highlight of Mr Hume\u2019s career came in 1998 with the signing of the historic Good Friday accord which largely ended Northern Ireland\u2019s 30-year sectarian conflict.<\/p>\n
Along with Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble, Mr Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to stopping the bloodshed.<\/p>\n
In 2010, Mr Hume was named \u201cIreland\u2019s Greatest\u201d in a poll by RT\u00c9.<\/p>\n
His death comes just six months after that of fellow Good Friday architect and long-time SDLP deputy leader Seamus Mallon.<\/p>\n
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there would have been no Good Friday Agreement without Mr Hume.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Hume was quite simply a political giant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stood proudly in the tradition that was totally opposed to violence and committed to pursuing his objectives by exclusively peaceful and democratic means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson added: \u201cWith his passing we have lost a great man who did so much to help bring an end to the Troubles and build a better future for all.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis vision paved the way for the stability, positivity and dynamism of the Northern Ireland of today, and his passing is a powerful reminder of how far Northern Ireland has come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin described Mr Hume as a \u201cgreat hero and a true peacemaker\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout his long life he exhibited not just courage, but also fortitude, creativity and an utter conviction that democracy and human rights must define any modern society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Clinton said he and his wife Hillary had lost a friend who \u201cfought his long war for peace in Northern Ireland\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis chosen weapon: an unshakable commitment to non-violence, persistence, kindness and love,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith his enduring sense of honor he kept marching on against all odds towards a brighter future for all the children of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough his faith in principled compromise, and his ability to see his adversaries as human beings, John helped forge the peace that has held to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Michael D Higgins said Mr Hume had transformed and remodeled politics in Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of those who sought and worked for peace on our island of Ireland, and in the hearts of all, will have been deeply saddened by the passing of John Hume, Nobel Peace Laureate and statesman,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said: \u201cLife across the island of Ireland is peaceful and more prosperous today because of his courage, vision and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, Mr Hume\u2019s family said: \u201cJohn was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather and a brother. He was very much loved, and his loss will be deeply felt by all his extended family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems particularly apt for these strange and fearful days to remember the phrase that gave hope to John and so many of us through dark times: we shall overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n