Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey leads tributes to John Hume

Tributes are being paid to former SDLP leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume who passed away during the early hours of Monday morning after a short illness.
John HumeJohn Hume
John Hume

Glengormley SDLP Councillor Noreen McClelland, Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, said: the SDLP has lost a leader and Ireland has lost a giant.

“Though we mourn the passing of John, we are all the more richer for the legacy he left us.

“Above all else, John taught us that politics is first and foremost about people; my colleagues and I will continue to follow and practice that truth as we continue to serve the people of Antrim and Newtownabbey.

The Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Noreen McClelland.The Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Noreen McClelland.
The Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Noreen McClelland.

“John’s devotion to this place and his relentless pursuit of peace has created a Northern Ireland where discrimination and violence are no longer every day realities for our people here.

“Though he and others like him will not see the full spoils of their fight, we will forever be grateful for their sacrifices.

“My thoughts go to Pat Hume and all of John’s children, and we thank them for their sacrifices through the years also.”

Mr Hume was 83 when he passed away in the early hours of Monday morning, his family announced.

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim has paid tribute to former SDLP leader and Nobel Prize winner, John Hume, following his death on Monday.

Mr Hume was 83 when he passed away in the early hours of Monday morning, his family announced.

The former MP and MEP was seen as instrumental in the Northern Ireland peace process and hailed as “Ireland’s peacemaker” by the party he founded.

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, said: “I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of John Hume at this very difficult time.

“Throughout the darkest days of the troubles in Northern Ireland, Mr Hume saw clearly that violence was not the answer and worked tirelessly to overcome it.”

Former SDLP Mayor of Ballymena Borough Council, PJ McAvoy, said: “In my view, John Hume was the greatest living Irishman in my time.

“The work that John did for the country and especially for the people of Derry is unbelievable and I don’t think we will see the likes of him again.

“He was first a foremost a man of peace, he never achieved anything by force, he worked alongside others and his achievements have proven that.

“During my year as Mayor in 2012 I was able to place a bust of John Hume in Ballymena’s council chamber, for the nationalist community of the town that was a very proud moment.”

Councillor Eugene Reid also paid tribute to Mr Hume saying he was “iconic in Irish and Northern Irish politics”.

“John Hume was renowned for everything he did for Ireland. Aside from the major events that he was instrumental in, he also founded Derry’s Credit Union and went on to become national president of the Irish Credit Union movement at the age of 26.

“His famous quote that ‘difference is the essence of humanity’ summed John up. He was a huge Irishman and fighter for nationalism but he knew the importance of reconiciling everyone from all sides of the community in order to achieve great things, which he undoubtedly did.”

The SDLP stated: “Nobel Laureate and former SDLP Leader John Hume passed away last night. We all live in the Ireland he imagined – at peace and free to decide our own destiny. Thank-you John.”

Party leader Colum Eastwood said the “whole island is in mourning today following the passing of our friend, leader and greatest peacemaker”.

He added: “We can never repay all that John did for us but we can live the values that meant so much to him. We shall overcome.”

Mr Hume, who was one of the founder members of the SDLP and former MP, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 jointly with Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble “for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.”

According to the Nobel Prize organisation, Mr Hume was “at the heart of the peace process” in Northern Ireland and “regarded by many as the principal architect” behind the Good Friday Agreement.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter.

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