Lord David Trimble Dies Aged 77

Lord David Trimble, co-architect of the Good Friday Agreement and NI's original First Minister, has died aged 77.

His death was announced in a statement released by the Trimble family. It read: "It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully earlier today following a short illness."

Leader of Lord Trimble's former party, the Ulster Unionist Party, Doug Beattie led tributes to the highly regarded politician: "(The) news will cause deep sadness throughout Northern Ireland and much further afield.

"David Trimble was a man of courage and vision. 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 will forever be associated with the leadership he demonstrated in the negotiations that led up to the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

"The bravery and courage he demonstrated whilst battling his recent illness was typical of the qualities he showed in his political career, at Stormont and at Westminster.

"He will be remembered as a First Minister, as a Peer of the Realm and as a Nobel Prize Winner. He will also be remembered as a great Unionist.

"On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, and with a very heavy heart, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Lady Trimble and his children, Richard, Victoria, Sarah and Nicholas."

Also paying tribute, SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said: "David Trimble's life has left an indelible mark on our shared island's story. Over the course of his political career but particularly in difficult years of the Good Friday Agreement negotiations he demonstrated immense courage and took political risks that sustained the life of our fledgling peace process. He doesn't often enough get credit for it but without David Trimble's fortitude, there would simply have been no agreement.

"The image of David and Seamus Mallon walking through Poyntzpass together in 1998 to comfort the families of Damien Trainor and Philip Allen is an enduring icon of the peace process that inspired a whole generation of people who wanted, and needed, to believe that our shared future could be different from our divided past. It is my enduring memory of his commitment to reconciliation.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Daphne, Richard, Victoria, Nicholas and Sarah at this difficult time. I hope they are comforted by the immense legacy that David left to the people of Northern Ireland."

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson added: "I am deeply saddened to learn of David's passing and my thoughts are foremost with Daphne and their children at this painful time of loss. He made a huge contribution to Northern Ireland, and to political life in the United Kingdom.

"Throughout some of the most difficult years of the Troubles, David was a committed and passionate advocate for the Union, at a time when doing so placed a considerable threat to his safety. Whilst our political paths parted within the Ulster Unionist Party, there can be no doubting his bravery and determination in leadership at that time. He was a committed and passionate unionist who always wanted the best for Northern Ireland.

"Right until recent days David continued to use his political skill and intellect, most recently in support of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union and in opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol. As a Nobel laureate, his words carried significant weight and he helped raise awareness of the threat the protocol posed to Northern Ireland, particularly amongst the wider UK audience.

"He leaves a huge and lasting legacy to Northern Ireland. He can undoubtedly be said to have shaped history in our country."

And extending his condolences to the Trimble family, Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said: "David faced huge challenges when he led the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations and persuaded his party to sign on for it. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that.

"In the years immediately following the Agreement I met David many times. Our conversations were not always easy but we made progress. We used to meet quite often on our own and I got to know him quite well. While we held fundamentally different political opinions on the way forward nonetheless I believe he was committed to making the peace process work.

"David’s contribution to the Good Friday Agreement and to the quarter century of relative peace that followed cannot be underestimated. I want to extend my sincerest condolences to Daphne Trimble, their daughters Victoria and Sarah, their sons Richard and Nicholas and to the entire family circle. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis."