#Northern #Ireland #bid #farewell #Peacemaker #Trimble #Lisburns #funeral
A memorial service for David Trimble, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning former First Minister of Northern Ireland whose statecraft helped end decades of conflict, will be held in his hometown of Lisburn on Monday.
From around the world and across Northern Ireland’s political divide, tributes have poured in for Trimble, who has worked tirelessly to bridge sectarian divides after his death last Monday at the age of 77.
The service, which will be attended by friends, family and politicians, will take place at 11:30 GMT at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church in Lisburn, south west of Belfast.
The death of a pro-British union leader Trimble after a short illness marked the death of one of the last in a generation of Northern Ireland leaders to deliver the Good Friday Agreement.
The 1998 accords, also known as the Belfast Accords, largely ended what is known in Northern Ireland as “The Troubles” – three decades of sectarian violence in the province that claimed 3,500 lives.
The same year the accords were signed, Trimble was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with pro-Irish nationalist leader John Hume, for their efforts.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former US President Bill Clinton, who have worked with Trimble for peace in Northern Ireland, hailed the union leader’s political courage following news of his death.
Former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who also helped bring about the landmark deal, said Trimble’s stance at the time made the peace possible.
Announcing Trimble’s death, his family said the former First Minister “passed away peacefully.”
Books of condolence have since been opened across Northern Ireland.
A wreath of flowers was laid in front of a portrait of Trimble at the seat of the province’s power-sharing government, which is currently in an ongoing political crisis following the May elections.
After elections three months ago, in which nationalists won for the first time in the province’s history, the assembly was paralyzed by a boycott by the dominant pro-British force, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The party has refused to join a power-sharing government until London tears up a post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland with the European Union.
An attempt to resume Stormont’s regional assembly last Tuesday following Trimble’s death was postponed out of respect.
Assembly members are due to offer formal condolences to the former first minister at a special session on Tuesday.
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