Skip to content

Award launched to honour Nobel Laureate John Hume

David WilsonBBC News NI
News imagePacemaker John Hume, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, stands on the walls of Derry. He is looking at the camera while the houses of the city's Bogside can be seen in the backgroundPacemaker
John Hume died in 2020 at the age of 83

A new award in the name of Nobel Laureate John Hume is to be established to "honour his legacy", Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has said.

Speaking in Strasbourg at the European Parliament on Tuesday, Martin said the annual award will be funded by the Irish government.

It will be awarded to a "European who has contributed to the values which John advocated for and to the further development of our union," he said.

Hume was one of the highest-profile politicians in Northern Ireland and played a major role in the peace talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement, in 1998.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace alongside David Trimble, the then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Hume is the only person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Martin Luther King Jnr Non-Violent Prize and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize.

The former SDLP leader, MP and MEP, died in Londonderry in 2020 at the age of 83.

News imagePacemaker John and Pat Hume are pictured together. He is on the right, wearing a suit and large rosette. Pat, on the left is smiling. His arm is on her shoulder.Pacemaker
Hume, with his wife Pat, after his election to the European Parliament in 1979

Speaking in the European Parliament, to which Hume had first been elected in 1979, Martin said the Derry politician had been inspired by the European Union.

"He came here as an MEP to work with others to define and build a new future for his community, our island, and the people of Europe," he said.

Martin added: "John had a vision to see the narrative of Ireland's path to peace and prosperity in the wider narrative of Europe. As he saw it, the road to lasting progress is built in shedding our sweat together rather than our blood.

"It is a vision that is as relevant today as when he graced this parliamentary chamber."

News imagePacemaker John Hume stands among a crowd of people. He is wearing glasses and has short dark hair. He is wearing a suit, shirt and tiePacemaker
John Hume stood down as leader of the SDLP in 2001, and retired from politics in 2004

Hume's son John Jr., who chairs the John and Pat Hume Foundation, said it was fitting Martin had made the announcement in Strasbourg.

"We are grateful that the Taoiseach announced this prize at the start of the Irish Presidency of the Council and in the European Parliament in Strasbourg."

He added: "The European Parliament was his spiritual home, and the European Union inspired him in the journey of peace and reconciliation in Ireland."

Foyle SDLP MP Colum Eastwood said the award is a "a fitting tribute to the legacy of John Hume and ensure that his vision continues to inspire future generations."

In 2010 Hume was voted 'Ireland's Greatest' in a poll by Irish broadcaster RTÉ.