Former SDLP leader John Hume hailed 'a true peacemaker' as he dies aged 83

John Hume, the former SDLP leader, has been hailed a “political titan” whose tireless pursuit for peace in Northern Ireland had instigated the end of the bloodshed.

Tributes poured in from politicians who hailed his “extraordinary” legacy as a key architect of the peace process.

Mr Hume, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the decisive part he played in ending the Troubles, died at a care home in Londonderry in the early hours of Monday morning. He was 83.

The former Foyle MP had dementia and had been ill for several years.

Political leaders both past and present, from both sides of the Irish Sea, lauded Mr Hume’s commitment and perseverance, often in the face of great adversity, that led to a decade of peace talks and in turn, paved the way for the Good Friday Agreement.

Boris Johnson described him as a "political giant", while Irish premier Micheal Martin said he was a "great hero and a true peacemaker".

Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister who was in Number 10 when the 1998 Agreement was signed, described him as a “political titan; a visionary who refused to believe the future had to be the same as the past.”

He praised Mr Hume's "epic" contribution to the peace process, adding: "In any place, in any party, anywhere, he would have stood tall. It was good fortune that he was born on the island of Ireland.”

Colum Eastwood, the SDLP leader, said Mr Hume was Ireland's most significant and consequential political figure.

"It is no exaggeration to say that each and every one of us now lives in the Ireland Hume imagined - an island at peace and free to decide its own destiny," he said.

Austin Currie, co-founder of the SDLP,  said Mr Hume was the greatest Irishman since the 19th century nationalist leader Charles Parnell, while Simon Coveney, Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs, said: “Ireland, all of us, should bow our heads in respect and thanks.”

Mr Hume, a former MEP for Northern Ireland, was a founding member of the party he went on to lead for 22 years.

When the Troubles broke out in his home town of Londonderry in 1968, he was the president of a credit union and a key figure in the civil rights movement.

Read more: Royal Marine debunks myth that John Hume was once arrested by Paddy Ashdown

Throughout his political career, he remained steadfast in his commitment to non-violence and determined to usher in a new way of life.

His participation in secret talks with Gerry Adams, then Sinn Fein president, in the late 1980s was a huge political gamble.

The SDLP leader faced intense criticism, including from within his own party, when the pair’s dialogue became public in 1993. Yet the talks proved a catalyst for the nascent peace process, helping to lay the foundations for the 1994 IRA ceasefire.

Despite threats to his life, he persisted with his efforts to engage with the republican movement and to convince the IRA to end its campaign of violence.

Mr Adams on Monday described Mr Hume as a "giant in Irish politics" whose role was "bigger than the peace process".

He added: “He and I had many disagreements, and that's a very very healthy thing to do and to have, but then we were able to talk and to actively promote the primacy of politics, of dialogue, of inclusivity.

"I have to say on this sad day we wouldn't have the peace that we enjoy today if it wasn't for John Hume."

Former Ulster Unionist leader Lord Trimble, who was awarded the Nobel peace prize alongside Mr Hume, added: "He was a major contributor to politics in Northern Ireland and particularly to the process that gave us an agreement that we are still working our way through.

"That's hugely important and that's something that he will be remembered for in years to come."

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis described Mr Hume as "one of the most important figures in recent UK and Irish political history".

Bill Clinton, the former US President, said: "Through his faith in principled compromise, and his ability to see his adversaries as human beings, John helped forge the peace that has held to this day.

“May he rest in peace, never losing the twinkle in his eye or the sly smile that lighted our lives."

In a statement, Mr Hume's family said: "It seems particularly apt for these strange and fearful days to remember the phrase that gave hope to John and so many of us through dark times: we shall overcome."

Read more: John Hume, SDLP leader who won the Nobel Prize – obituary