David Trimble was the unionist who dared to negotiate and lead his party to the Stormont negotiating table. The Good Friday Agreement was hailed as his greatest accomplishment.
Lord Trimble, the first premier of Northern Ireland and co-author of the Good Friday Agreement, passed away at the age of 77.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announces his peaceful passing this morning after a brief illness,” said a statement.
Tuesday’s planned recall of the Stormont Assembly will not occur due to his passing.
Former speaker Alex Maskey stated the party whips concurred that extending the session would be “inappropriate.”
In the 1990s, Lord Trimble’s firm stance on contested Orange Order marches earned him the Ulster Unionist Party leadership.
However, he was the unionist who dared to negotiate and brought his party to the Stormont negotiating table.
Former Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Bertie Ahern stated: “I believe he will go down in history as a politician who, despite everything, stood up and put his name to that accord during a very difficult time when we were trying to end 30 years of violence.
This enables us to achieve peace in Northern Ireland and move forward.
David Trimble and his nationalist opponent John Hume were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for their contributions to the peace process.
He was the first individual to be elected as the first minister of Northern Ireland, serving from 1998 to 2002.
However, the growth of Sinn Fein before the IRA’s disarmament compelled him to take another leap of faith.
“We’ve done our bit,” he proclaimed in November 1999, “Mr. Adams, you have the floor. We have leaped; please follow.”
During those turbulent times in Stormont politics, David Kerr served as David Trimble’s press secretary and knew him better than others.
He said: “I hope David Trimble will be treated kindly by history.
“When historians look back objectively with a longer perspective over the timeline of events that occurred before and after the Good Friday Agreement, I believe they will recognize the vital role he played in reshaping politics in this country,”
He attracted the ire of anti-agreement Unionists and ultimately lost his Westminster seat for Upper Bann to the Democratic Unionist Party.
David Trimble, who was elevated to the House of Lords, never voiced regret for compromising, citing the Good Friday Agreement as his crowning achievement.
He said: “It was the first time that all of the Northern Ireland political parties acknowledged a consensus.
It made it possible for us to proceed in a climate where conflicts were possible.
Lord Trimble is survived by his wife, Daphne, and children Richard, Victoria, Nicholas, and Sarah.
David Trimble, a lawyer, academic, and statesman, will be remembered for his ability to see the potential for lasting peace when others did not.
Members of Congress from across the political spectrum have praised his legacy.
Lord Trimble, according to current UUP leader Doug Beattie, is a “political behemoth.”
He said: “David Trimble was a courageous and visionary man. When the opportunity for peace presented itself, he chose to seize it and work to end the decades of violence that had plagued his beloved Northern Ireland.
“The leadership he displayed in the discussions leading up to the 1998 Belfast Agreement will forever be linked with him.
“The fortitude and courage he displayed while battling his recent illness was representative of the traits he exhibited throughout his political career at Stormont and Westminster.”
Premier Boris Johnson remarked: “I am profoundly saddened to discover that Lord Trimble passed away earlier today. He was a giant of British and world politics and will be remembered for his intelligence, personal courage, and tenacious desire to improve politics.
Shailesh Vara, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that Mr. Trimble’s passing “will be greatly mourned throughout Northern Ireland,” adding, “He will be remembered for his unwavering defense of peace and his leadership in helping to deliver the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.”
David Davis, a member of the Conservative Party, described Mr. Trimble as “one of the few true heroes of our time,” while Liam Fox stated that his legacy will “benefit many generations.”
In the meantime, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill tweeted, “His very substantial contribution to the peace process and his fortitude in helping to secure the Good Friday Agreement is a legacy of which he and his family should be justly proud a quarter century later.”
In a tweet, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “David Trimble was a towering figure in Northern Irish and British politics as one of the principal authors of the Good Friday Agreement, the first minister, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
My thoughts are with Lady Trimble and her loved ones.
Former prime minister Tony Blair also participated in the memorial service.
He stated that Lord Trimble’s “impact on Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom was enormous, indelible, and essentially irreplaceable.”
“David Trimble’s support for the peace process exemplified the best of politics,” he remarked.
“We have lost someone today who will be lamented by both friends and opponents.”
While former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams expressed “great regret at the passing of former UUP leader and first minister David Trimble,” Trimble’s death was met with “profound sorrow” by Adams.
“David overcame tremendous obstacles when he headed the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement discussions and convinced his party to sign on. He deserves credit for supporting that Agreement. I am grateful to him for that “he remarked.
