Political leaders across the UK and Ireland have hailed Lord Trimble’s contribution to peace in Northern Ireland.
Following the death of the former Stormont first minister on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described him as a political “giant” whose achievements would never be forgotten.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin credited his “central contribution” in efforts to secure peace and reconciliation.
Read next: David Trimble’s journey from Drumcree hardliner to peace prize winner
Irish President Michael D Higgins praised his “life of public service”. Mr Johnson tweeted a tribute to Lord Trimble on Monday evening.
“He was a giant of British and international politics and will be long remembered for his intellect, personal bravery and fierce determination to change politics for the better,” he said.
Mr Martin said: “All of us in politics at the time witnessed his crucial and courageous role in the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement and his leadership in building support in his party and his community for the Agreement.”
President Higgins expressed his deep sadness.
“David Trimble’s dedication and courage, often during the most challenging times, has earned him a distinguished and deserved place in our history books,” he said.
“His work leaves a true legacy on the necessity and value of peace on our shared island for future generations.”
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said his contribution was “immense, unforgettable and frankly irreplaceable”.
Sir Tony said: “David Trimble, in his support of the peace process, showed politics at its very best.
“When some within his own ranks were opposed to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, he supported it. When we needed his willingness to go the extra mile for peace, he travelled that mile. When there was the prospect of collapse of the process without strong leadership, he provided that leadership.
“His contribution to Northern Ireland and to the United Kingdom was immense, unforgettable and frankly irreplaceable.”
Current UUP leader Doug Beattie described the former first minister as “a man of courage and vision”.
“He chose to grasp the opportunity for peace when it presented itself and sought to end the decades of violence that blighted his beloved Northern Ireland,” he said.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “Very sad news. David Trimble was a towering figure of Northern Ireland and British politics as one of the key authors of the Good Friday Agreement, the first First Minister and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. My thoughts are with Lady Trimble and their family.”
Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill tweeted : “His very significant contribution to the peace process and his courage in helping achieve the Good Friday Agreement leaves a legacy a quarter century on for which he and his family should be rightly proud.”
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson described the peer as a “committed and passionate advocate for the Union”, at a time when doing so posed a considerable threat to his safety.
Sir Jeffrey, who quit the UUP and defected to the DUP while Lord Trimble was leader, said: “Whilst our political paths parted within the Ulster Unionist Party, there can be no doubting his bravery and determination in leadership at that time. He was a committed and passionate unionist who always wanted the best for Northern Ireland.”
Alliance Leader Naomi Long said: “Lord Trimble’s greatest legacy to his political career is the Good Friday Agreement and the risks he took to both help achieve it, and ensuring the resulting Assembly remained during its unsteady early days. It was at times an unenviable role.
“His contribution to the peace process and the ending of violence in our society helped secure his place in history.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Lord Trimble had left an “indelible mark on our shared island’s story” and that without him there would not have been a Good Friday Agreement.
“Over the course of his political career but particularly in difficult years of the Good Friday Agreement negotiations he demonstrated immense courage and took political risks that sustained the life of our fledgling peace process,” he said.
“He doesn’t often enough get credit for it but without David Trimble’s fortitude, there would simply have been no agreement.”
Former prime minister Sir John Major praised his “critical” contribution to peace building, while ex-Irish premier Bertie Ahern described him as a “courageous” leader.
Ex-Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams thanked him for helping to get the Good Friday Agreement over the line in 1998.
Former Conservative PM, Sir John said: “When David Trimble became leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, he made a critical contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.
“He shed his former opposition to the process, and became an innovative advocate for a peaceful settlement.
“This was a brave and principled change of policy, and critical to the creation of peace in Northern Ireland.
“He thoroughly merits an honourable place amongst peacemakers.”
Mr Ahern said: “He was a courageous man and I had many a row with him and many arguments.. and in more recent years we’ve had good laughs about those debates. But he was tough.
“As a good negotiator I think when he made the deal, when he settled something, he stuck by it. Subsequently he paid the price. And in spite of the horrendous problems that he was under from within his own party and from outside the wider Unionist group, in that last week of the Good Friday agreement he stuck by it.
“He got a lot of criticism from the wider unionist family but you know, I have great admiration for him.”
Speaking to RTE, Mr Ahern recalled his first visit to the unionist headquarters with Mr Trimble on Glengall Street in Belfast in 1995: “That day, we said, listen, should we give this a try? If it works, it’s good. If it doesn’t, you know, let’s not fall out too much.
“I never fell out with him: fought with him, rowed with him and argued with him. But I think we had the one determination: that we would end violence in Northern Ireland.”
Mr Adams expressed his “deep regret” at Lord Trimble’s passing.
“David faced huge challenges when he led the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations and persuaded his party to sign on for it. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that,” he said.
“In the years immediately following the Agreement I met David many times. Our conversations were not always easy but we made progress.
"We used to meet quite often on our own and I got to know him quite well. While we held fundamentally different political opinions on the way forward nonetheless I believe he was committed to making the peace process work.
“David’s contribution to the Good Friday Agreement and to the quarter century of relative peace that followed cannot be underestimated.”
Meanwhile, a planned recalled sitting of the Stormont Assembly on Tuesday has been postponed as a mark of respect for Lord Trimble.
The legislature had been due to sit in another attempt to elect a new speaker amid the current powersharing impasse in the region.
Outgoing speaker Alex Maskey said: "I was very sorry to hear of the death of Lord Trimble. David and I worked together through many challenging times, the high point being the Good Friday Agreement.
"I have engaged with party whips this evening and parties are all agreed that it would be inappropriate to hold the scheduled recall of the Assembly tomorrow."
Read more:
- How the political world reacted after David Trimble dies following short illness
- Failing to reform Stormont 'catastrophic' for devolution, Alliance's Naomi Long warns
- Key points in Northern Ireland Protocol legislation and what happens next in Brexit dispute
- No agreement on Stormont Assembly offices plan weeks after election
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
