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John Hume
Leader of the SDLP; Nobel laureate
"An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind — I want to break that cycle."
Biography
A former teacher from Derry and a founder of the moderate, non-violent Social Democratic and Labour Party, John Hume was the intellectual architect of the peace process and the most consistent advocate of achieving Irish unity by consent rather than the gun. He championed civil rights in the 1960s, condemned violence on all sides for thirty years, and doggedly pursued dialogue when it was deeply unpopular. His most courageous and controversial act was to open secret talks with Gerry Adams in the late 1980s, seeking to draw the republican movement away from violence — talks that laid the groundwork for the IRA ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement. Vilified by many at the time for talking to 'terrorists,' he was later vindicated and shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with David Trimble. He is remembered as the man who did more than any other to end the Troubles.
Did you know?
In a 2010 poll he was voted 'Ireland's Greatest' person of all time, ahead of any other figure in the nation's history.
Key Battles
The Good Friday Agreement
April 10, 1998 · 0 total casualties
The Good Friday Agreement effectively ended the Troubles, creating a durable if fragile peace and a template — power-sharing, consent, and inclusion of former combatants — studied by peacemakers worldwide. Its architects Hume and Trimble shared the Nobel Peace Prize.
Life Journey
Timeline
January 18, 1937
🌅 Birth
Born in Derry
April 10, 1998
🕊️ Postwar
Wins the Good Friday Agreement; shares the Nobel Prize
August 3, 2020
✝️ Death
Dies in Derry