LAST UPDATE | 25 Jul 2022

NOBEL PRIZE WINNDER and Ulster Unionist first minister David Trimble has died at the age of 77.

Trimble and John Hume of the SDLP were leading figures in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Hume died in August 2020 following an illness.

Doug Beattie, the current UUP leader paid tribute in a tweet: “A political giant, a courageous politician, a staunch unionist and a friend.”

#LordTrimble - A political giant, a courageous politician, a staunch unionist and a friend. pic.twitter.com/RTVWUAWExe

— Doug Beattie (@BeattieDoug) July 25, 2022

The Ulster Unionist Party has said that “it is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully earlier today following a short illness”.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that he is “deeply saddened” at the death of Trimble.

He praised his “crucial and courageous” role in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations, saying that this was recognised when he and Hume received the Nobel Peace Prize.

“In his speech accepting the Nobel Prize, Trimble spoke about the ‘politicians of the possible’, a phrase which I think sums up the David Trimble we all knew, and it speaks to his achievements over many decades, often in challenging circumstances,” Martin said.

“The work of reconciliation begun in the Good Friday Agreement continues, and as new generations pick up the mantle of this work, it is fitting that we pay tribute to Lord Trimble for his central contribution  in setting us on the path to peace and reconciliation.”

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who worked closely with Trimble on the Good Friday Agreement, said that he was “courageous” and “tough”.

“He was tough as teeth and he stood by things but as a good negotiator, I think, when he made a deal, when he settled something he stuck by it,” said Ahern.

“I have great admiration for him.”

President Michael D Higgins said that Trimble would be remembered for his lifetime of work and particularly for the work on securing peace on the island of Ireland.

“David Trimble’s dedication and courage, often during the most challenging times, has earned him a distinguished and deserved place in our history books.  His work leaves a true legacy on the necessity and value of peace on our shared island for future generations.”

SLDP leader, Colum Eastwood, said that Trimble was “one of the most consequential political leaders of the last century whose life left an indelible mark on our shared island’s story.”

“He doesn’t often get enough credit but without his political bravery and the risks he took, there would have been no agreement.”

First Minister Designate Michelle O’Neill also paid tribute to Trimble, saying she learned of his passing with “genuine regret”.

“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,” O’Neill said.

Good Friday Agreement

Trimble was Northern Ireland’s First Minister having started his political career as a hardliner in the 1970s. 

He initially became involved in the unionist offshoot organisation Vanguard and while he was best known for his involvement with the Belfast Agreement, in his younger days he had opposed an earlier attempt, the Sunningdale Agreement.

He went on to join the then dominant Ulster Unionist Party in 1978.

Trimble unexpectedly won the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party over the favourite John Kilclooney, starting his often turbulent time at the helm of the party.

He marked a number of firsts as Ulster Unionist leader, including becoming the party’s first leader in 30 years to meet with Taoiseach in Dublin and in 1997 he became the first unionist leader since partition to negotiate with Sinn Fein.

The peace talks, which started formally in 1998 under the chairmanship of former US senator George Mitchell, saw many nights of intensive negotiation pressed on by then prime minister Tony Blair, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and then US president Bill Clinton.

The process faltered several times but perhaps most notably when then Ulster Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson walked out of the talks.

However, on 10 April 1998 the agreement was signed, and endorsed following a referendum held the following month.

Trimble become the first First minister of Northern Ireland to be elected on 1 July, 1998 alongside SDLP deputy leader Seamus Mallon as deputy First Minister.

But the path of devolved government was far from smooth for the two men, with the issue of the paramilitary groups decommissioning overshadowing Stormont.

Trimble also struggled with internal divisions within his party which saw Donaldson, along with fellow future DUP leader Arlene Foster and Norah Beare, resigning in December 2003.

Trimble lost his Westminster seat in Upper Bann at the 2005 election to DUP candidate David Simpson.

He resigned as leader of the party whose once dominant Westminster representation had been reduced to just one seat.

He was made a life peer the following year and later took up his seat in the House of Lords as a member of the Conservative Party to have, he said, great influence on UK politics.

While generally socially conservative in outlook, Trimble admitted in July 2019 that he had changed his position on equal marriage after his daughter Victoria married her girlfriend in 2017.

Trimble’s final public appearance came at the end of June at the unveiling of a portrait of him by artist Colin Davidson at the Queen’s University.

He then reflected on the approach of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement, and pointed out it has survived despite the objections.

“The Good Friday Agreement is something which everybody in Northern Ireland has been able to agree with, it doesn’t mean they agree with everything, there are aspects which some people thought were a mistake, but the basic thing is that this was agreed,” he told PA.

“That is there. People are actually not throwing the agreement to pieces, their complaints are still based on the existence of the agreement.

“They are not saying ‘throw it out’, so that’s the thing to bear in mind.”

He was also sharply critical of the UK government over Brexit trade arrangements.

Trimble is survived by his wife Daphne and sons and daughters, Richard, Victoria, Nicholas and Sarah.