OCTOBER 2010

John Hume is "Ireland's Greatest"

There has been a widespread welcome and delight at John Hume's naming as "Ireland's Greatest," especially in Moville.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has a home in the seaside town was awarded the accolade after he topped an RTE phone and text poll. He was one of five people on a shortlist that included Bono, Michael Collins, Mary Robinson and James Connolly.

Local Councillor Martin Farren expressed his delight at the news. He said: "I am delighted that John Hume has been selected as Ireland's Greatest. It is the measure of the esteem in which he is held and they say behind every man there is a good woman so I'd also like to pay tribute to his wife, Pat. We in the Moville area are privileged to have them living among us."

John Hume was born in Derry on January 18th 1937 and started his career as a secondary school teacher. He became the founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and is regarded as one of the leading figures behind the peace process.

He is the only person to have awarded the three major peace awards, the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize which he shared with David Trimble, the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Martin Luther King Award.

*Article and quotes from Inish Times newspaper (26th October 2010).

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