Tributes paid to former SDLP leader by politicians and public figures

Irish people owe a debt of gratitude to John Hume, President Michael D Higgins has said, in one of numerous tributes by politicians and public figures to the former SDLP leader and peacemaker.
Mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, as President of Ireland, may I say how deeply grateful we all should be that we had such a person as John Hume to create a light of hope in the most difficult of times, Mr Higgins said.
It was Seamus Mallon, that other great statesman and courageous peace seeker and builder, who observed: Inside was a man who had something big to do. There is a greatness about his political life in what he did and what he helped to do. I would put him in the same breath as Parnell and Daniel O Connell.
We are grieving in this difficult year 2020 for two great apostles and seekers of peace.
Mr Hume died aged 83, his family announced on Monday, seven months after the death of his former colleague Mr Mallon.
Mr Higgins said Johns deep commitment to these values and his practical demonstration of tolerance and social justice, oftentimes in the face of strong opposition and tangible threats to his person and his family, asserted the fundamental principles of democracy.
He and those others who helped usher in a discourse that enabled a new era of civil rights and responsive government that few would have thought possible, have placed generations in their debt, have been a source of hope.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD described Mr Hume as a great hero and a true peacemaker.
In tribute to the former SDLP leader Mr Martin said that Throughout his long life he exhibited not just courage, but also fortitude, creativity and an utter conviction that democracy and human rights must define any modern society.
For over four decades, he was a passionate advocate for a generous, outward-looking and all-encompassing concept of nationalism and republicanism. For him the purpose of politics was to bring people together, not split them apart.
During the darkest days of paramilitary terrorism and sectarian strife, he kept hope alive. And with patience, resilience and unswerving commitment, he triumphed and delivered a victory for peace.
While the 1998 Good Friday Agreement was the product of many peoples work, can anyone really claim that it would have happened without John Hume?
He didnt just talk about peace, he worked unstintingly for peace, at times in the face of the most virulent criticism and risk to his life. He knew that to be a peace maker on this island meant being a risk taker.
John Humes life was one of towering achievement. His vision was realised and while illness took away his voice, his presence remains all around us on this island in the form of political stability and he has left us a powerful legacy of peace and reconciliation.
Such achievement of course meant much sacrifice a sacrifice shared by his wife Pat and his family but they knew it was for the greater good.
I extend my sympathies to his wife Pat and his five children Aine, Therese, John jnr, Aidan, and Mo. Their grief will be great but they can take pride in the knowledge that they have shared their life with one of the greatest Irish people that ever lived. All people on this island will give thanks for his life.