Lord Alderdice Pays Tribute to Irish Peacemaker and Nobel Laureate John Hume

IDI Board Member Lord John Alderdice issued the following statement on the recent occasion of the death of Irish Peacemaker John Hume:

With the sad passing of John Hume, Ireland has lost one of its most distinguished political sons and most devoted servants, but both at home and abroad his legacy will continue to enrich all who come to appreciate his enormous contribution to peace building in our world. Jim Molyneaux, Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness, Seamus Mallon and now John Hume – have passed on, but all left hoping that they had bequeathed a legacy of lasting peace for their children and grandchildren, as do those of us who remain. The political perspectives of the four leaders in this picture, not to mention others involved in the Peace Process such as Gerry Adams, differed of course, but what John contributed, beyond his remarkable determination and political stamina, was an appreciation of how to lead people and how to bring violent political conflict to an end, in the tradition of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr and Mandela. But John did not just follow their lead, he added his own distinctive contribution to that philosophy and tradition. Now others must develop it for a world that needs it as much as ever. Of course, John did not do it entirely on his own. He had the extraordinary personal and political support of his wife, Pat, and of many good friends and colleagues, some who have passed on and others who are thankfully still here – Mark Durkan and Sean Farren come immediately to my mind. But John’s death is a loss, and a marker of the passage of a political era. Rest in peace, John; you have left your beloved Ireland in a much better place than you found it.