John Hume: Death of a peacemaker

Remembering the life and legacy of political giant John Hume.
John Hume, who has died at the age of 83. Credit: UTV

As a boy from the Bogside, a young John Hume saw a city blighted by sectarian division and political gerrymandering – he considered the priesthood, became a teacher, but ultimately set out on a political path that would help forge peace.

In his home city, one with a nationalist majority but controlled by unionists, he was to become a key figure in the civil rights movement.

John Hume founded the Derry Credit Union and fought for jobs, education, and housing.

He was inspired by Martin Luther King’s pursuit of equality through dialogue and peaceful protest.

But in the late 1960s, Derry’s Bogside was a powder keg.

Protest erupted into brutal violence - rioting, gun attacks and bombs. The Troubles would claim thousands of lives over the coming years.

John Hume continued to pursue a path to dialogue though.

During his political career, he was elected to Stormont and helped create the Sunningdale Agreement - an early attempt at powersharing – and also elected to Westminster and then Brussels.

Despite the failure of Sunningdale, he was already plotting a new path to agreement, not a road to division.

The Bogside may have been a furnace, but it had forged a man of peace – one who would become known around the globe.

But whether in Washington or Westminster, he would always remain a Derry man at heart.

Watch: John Hume - The Path to PeaceFrom humble beginnings to architect of peace in Northern Ireland, John Hume's remarkable contribution is recalled in his own words and by those who witnessed the long road to the Good Friday Agreement in a UTV special programme looking back at his life.