David Trimble

Key figure in peace process that produced the Belfast Agreement was awarded the Nobel Peace prize along with the SDLP's John Hume in 1998.

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, greater influence on UK politics. He marked a number of firsts as Ulster Unionist leader, including becoming the party’s first leader in 30 years to meet with the Irish premier in Dublin and in 1997 he became the first unionist leader since partition to negotiate with Sinn Fein. He went on to join the then dominant Ulster Unionist Party in 1978. “He played a key role as leader of the UUP, and his was a long and distinguished career in Unionist politics and in the politics of Northern Ireland,” said Micheál Martin as he offered his condolences to Mr Trimble’s family and friends. He initially became involved in the unionist offshoot organisation Vanguard in the early 1970s and while he was best known for his involvement with the Belfast Agreement, in his younger days he had opposed an earlier attempt at political compromise, the Sunningdale Agreement. One of the principal architects of the Belfast Agreement ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, he was 77 and had jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize along with SDLP leader John Hume.

In a statement on behalf of the Trimble family, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he ...

“I have known David and Daphne Trimble since my university days when David was one of my lecturers and Daphne was a fellow student in my law year. The people of the UK owe him an immense debt of gratitude for all he achieved for our Union.” As a couple throughout their married life Daphne gave exemplary support to David and in his declining health was a tower of strength to him. Now we have a shared responsibility to continue to build on that - building a better society and polity for the people of Northern Ireland.” I hope they are comforted by the immense legacy that David left to the people of Northern Ireland. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that. Mr Beattie said: “David Trimble was a man of courage and vision. It is my enduring memory of his commitment to reconciliation. For that he and John Hume jointly won the Nobel Prize." He doesn’t often enough get credit for it but without David Trimble’s fortitude, there would simply have been no agreement,” he said. “In the years immediately following the Agreement I met David many times. He will also be remembered as a great Unionist.

David Trimble was the unionist who dared to compromise and led his party to the negotiating table at Stormont. He described the Good Friday Agreement as his ...

He said: "David Trimble was a man of courage and vision. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Lord Trimble earlier today. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shailesh Vara said the loss of Mr Trimble "will be felt deeply throughout Northern Ireland", adding: "He will be remembered for his unshaking defence of peace, and his leadership in helping deliver the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement." 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." We've jumped, you follow." David Trimble was the unionist who dared to compromise and led his party to the negotiating table at Stormont. He described the Good Friday Agreement as his greatest achievement.

Former first minister of Northern Ireland played crucial role in peace agreement that ended the Troubles.

Born in Belfast in 1944, he was educated at Queen’s University before becoming a barrister and a lecturer. He was UUP leader between 1995 and 2005, accepting a life peerage in the House of Lords in 2006. “A brilliant statesman and dedicated public servant, his legacy as an architect of the Good Friday Agreement will live on for ever. A return to the mainstream unionist establishment followed, however, and he rejoined the Ulster Unionist party in 1978, becoming MP at Westminster for Upper Bann at a by-election on May 17, 1990. His involvement in politics picked up pace in the 1970s and he was involved in the Vanguard party, an extreme unionist grouping. Trimble had demonstrated bravery and courage while battling his recent illness in a way that was typical of the qualities he showed in his political career, at Stormont and at Westminster, Beattie added.

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 ...

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Mr Trimble made a huge contribution to Northern Ireland, and to political life in the UK. Current UUP leader Doug Beattie described Mr Trimble as "a political giant, a courageous politician, a staunch unionist and a friend." In 2005 Mr Trimble lost his seat in the House of Commons, but was granted a peerage in the upper House of Lords, where he switched allegiance to the Conservative Party in 2006.

Tributes flow for former Ulster Unionist leader who led Northern Ireland's first government following the Good Friday Agreement.

“He paid a political price for that.” Today’s successors to Trimble and Hume, who died in 2020, paid tribute to Trimble as the man most responsible for keeping enough unionists at the negotiating table opposite Sinn Féin to make the Good Friday deal possible. In his address after being awarded the prize, Trimble expressed hopes that the Northern Ireland Assembly could foster a new society where British unionists and Irish nationalists no longer harbored “good reason to fear the other.”

He played a key role as leader of the UUP, and his was a long and distinguished career in Unionist politics and in the politics of Northern Ireland.

"He played a key role as leader of the UUP, and his was a long and distinguished career in Unionist politics and in the politics of Northern Ireland. This information is used to make the website work as well as possible. This website uses cookies to collect information about how you use this site.

Former UUP leader, who has died aged 77, hailed for his bravery and for his part in formulation of Belfast Agreement.

He was a committed and passionate unionist who always wanted the best for Northern Ireland.” “David Trimble was a man of courage and vision. “That was the first time we had an agreement within the political parties of Northern Ireland which was accepted by all of them. “A brilliant statesman and dedicated public servant, his legacy as an architect of the Good Friday Agreement will live on forever. “David Trimble’s dedication and courage, often during the most challenging times, has earned him a distinguished and deserved place in our history books. Mr Trimble, who was a native of Bangor in Co Down, was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 1995 until 2005.

Political leaders past and present have paid tribute to David Trimble's contribution to peace in Northern Ireland following his death. The 77-year-old pee.

“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,” he said. “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. “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.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner died on Monday at the age of 77 following an illness.

Very saddened to hear of the death of David Trimble. His contribution to building the peace process in Ireland will stand as a proud and living legacy of his political life. Condolences to his wife Daphne and family. 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. He marked a number of firsts as Ulster Unionist leader, including becoming the party’s first leader in 30 years to meet with the Irish premier in Dublin and in 1997 he became the first unionist leader since partition to negotiate with Sinn Féin. One of the principal architects of the Belfast Agreement ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland has died at the age of 77. In a statement on behalf of the Trimble family, the UUP said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully earlier today following a short illness.”

POLITICAL LEADERS PAST and present have paid tribute to David Trimble's contribution to peace in Northern Ireland following his death. The 77-year-old ex-leader ...

“If David didn’t bring the unionist party with them then we didn’t have an agreement. “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,” he said. He was a member of parliament for Upper Bann until he lost his seat to the DUP in 2005 and spent his remaining years in the House of Lords. The agreement was four parts and that was loyalism, that was unionism, republicanism and that was nationalism. Ahern said he “never blinked” and that he “stood up to the wider Unionist community” as part of the peace process. The 77-year-old ex-leader of the Ulster Unionist Party was one of the principal architects of the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of conflict in the region.

David Trimble, the unionist leader credited with helping to secure the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which delivered peace in Northern Ireland, has died.

It was replaced with an aspiration to unity, but only with the consent of people in Northern Ireland. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. "He never blinked. There were those who were against him. He said he had tried to conceal the fact that the proposals in his offer were his bottom line and he was prepared to sign. So, he was a surprise choice for leader in 1995 and won with the support of the Orange Order.

These attributes kept the engine of the Belfast Agreement ticking over when it could have prematurely spluttered out of puff. In 1998 SDLP leader John Hume and ...

In the end it was Paisley and Adams who reaped the benefit of his work. He had a deadpan way of warning of the dangers of such canal travel. It was described at the time as a triumphalist “victory jig” by the DUP leader and the local MP. It left a lasting sour impression on nationalists of all stripes. Trimble had a number of Catholic friends in Bangor including the future RTÉ presenter, the late Derek Davis. He was academic and a good student at Bangor Grammar school but felt he was not encouraged by senior teachers. He made no secret about his opinion of the much-loved Labour politician, viewing her as too sympathetic to nationalists and republicans. Through the first half of the 1990s he polished and bolstered his resumed hardline image. By various means, including a four-month suspension of the Assembly from February to May in 2000, Trimble saw off these challenges and kept his party just about with him. During the speech Trimble kept looking at his watch and at one point went over to Blair to say he must leave for the airport. Trimble was assailed from without his party by the likes of Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson while it was no easier within the UUP with Donaldson leading the anti-agreement bloc against him. Donaldson still within the UUP sought to dislodge Trimble with the absence of IRA disarmament at the centre of his argument. In trying to explain to his party that decommissioning might be a long road, Trimble was daringly innovative. Paramilitary disarmament was mentioned in the text of the agreement but more as an aspiration than a requirement.

Mr Trimble's family issued a statement today announcing that the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, and former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader had ...

“David Trimble was a man of courage and vision. Those in power today owe it to that legacy to handle it with care and commitment," he said. We would not be where we are without his leadership," he said. He he paid a price, he lost seat in Upper Bann, he got a lot of criticism from the wider unionist family, but I have great admiration for him.” But as SDLP leader Colum Eastwood remarked, he will also be remembered for more conciliatory gestures. In jointly accepting the Noble Peace Prize with John Hume in 1998, Mr Trimble spoke of the ‘politicians of the possible’, a phrase which Mr Martin said “sums up the David Trimble we all knew, and it speaks to his achievements over many decades, often in challenging circumstances.”

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that if David Trimble had not entered peace talks in Northern Ireland in 1997, they would never have been agreed.

I think the vast majority of unionists do accept that the way forward is through consensus. Mr Trimble's funeral will take place in Lisburn on Monday, the UUP has said. At times it can be quite a lonely path. What price can you put on communities coming together? He said that he and Mr Trimble "differed hugely" on Brexit, but while Mr Trimble supported leaving the UK, he never changed his position on the need for a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. "The agreement was four parts - it was loyalism, it was unionism, it was republicanism, it was nationalism and we needed all four of them and unionism was a big part of that," he said.

Ulster Unionist leader won Nobel Peace Prize and served as Northern Ireland's inaugural first minister.

In 2013, DCU was proud to honour his achievements, alongside Seamus Mallon, in recognition of the ways in which their work reflected the University's mission ' ...

“The vocation of leadership in peace and culture change is demanding, draining and difficult as our two honorees today could no doubt testify. They took risks, argued the toss vehemently, made concessions and compromises, made themselves vulnerable.” Both men were conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) at a special ceremony in The Helix.

Death of Northern Ireland's inaugural first minister inspires rare solidarity as role in ending the Troubles is hailed.

The DUP tone chimed with that of Doug Beattie, the UUP leader. “His enduring desire to protect and promote the union will be his legacy.” The former US president Bill Clinton said Trimble had helped deliver peace.