John Hume: A Story Not Yet Fully Told

John Hume chose to live with purpose. He was steadfast in his determination to see peace and a better life, not only for those from his own community, but for all people across the island of Ireland. Elected a Member of the European Parliament in 1979, he would go on to serve as MP for Foyle from 1983 to 2005, and member of the Legislative Assembly for the same constituency between 1998 and 2000. He defined future generations opportunities when he stood alongside his joint Nobel Peace Prize win in 1998 with UUP leader David Trimble for their work on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Though, his legacy is still being realised.

Hume’s commitment to justice and equality began at an early age. He left the path to priesthood to become a schoolteacher in Derry. As part of his Civil Rights work, Hume strived for adequate housing and an end to discrimination in employment. He worked to bring a second university to Derry, and co-founded the city’s Credit Union. Of course, perhaps most prominently, he worked to end violence. Hume learned from and listened to Black leaders involved in the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), although at times disagreed strongly with his political colleagues. Hume opposed the anti-internment march that took place in Derry on 30 January 1972, fearing it would end in violence. His fears were realised.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he made regular trips to the USA to rally Irish American leaders to the cause of peace in Northern Ireland. Hume wielded significant influence in the debate on both sides of the Atlantic. He is remembered for his dogged determination to speak with anyone who could held bring about peace. British civil servants described him as a thoughtful and skilful politician.

In my own writings about the conflict, we must remember that during the conflict’s darkest days, Hume was there. He made it a priority to attend funerals of those who died as a result of violence, he shared in their grief and offered comfort in whatever way he could. When angry mourners in Belfast dragged undercover British Army soldiers Derek Wood and David Howes from their car, beating them to death, Fr Alec Reid attempted to resuscitate them and gave them the last rites. In his pocket was the Sinn Féin position paper addressed to Hume, outlining their plans for peace. Reid had to return to Clonard Monastery for a fresh copy of the letter before delivering it to Hume as the original was now soaked in blood. This story, often retold, lives somewhat in infamy. Nevertheless, it is a clear reminder of Hume’s presence in so many moments of heartbreak and tragedy, as well as in hope and faith.

There is much to be said about Hume’s ability and willingness to meet with anyone in his pursuit of peace. He crossed the proverbial aisle, discussing opportunities with unionists and republicans alike. Even when such actions could mark the end of a political career, Hume forged on and engaged members of Sinn Féin in positive discussion as early as the mid-1980s. He would speak with whoever necessary to reach his goal of ending the violence fairly and peacefully.

It is testament to Hume’s long, important, and varied legacy that it has been difficult to capture in one single scholarly work. The trope of Hume as the ‘Derryman’ is one regularly employed in the public imagination. While Gerard Murray, Paul Routledge, George Drower, and Barry White have produced journalistic accounts of parts of Hume’s life, Simon Prince has written on Hume’s self-help and civil rights career. Niall Ó Dochartaigh carefully examined Hume’s opposition to the anti-internment march that became Bloody Sunday. Through the use of Hume’s own words, Sean Farren pieced together a narrative of his life. Tommy Dolan has engaged with the intellectual origins of Hume’s political thinking during his time at Maynooth and P.J. McLaughlin demonstrated how Hume changed the face and idea of Irish nationalism. Through key interviews, Maurice Fitzpatrick weaved together a narrative Hume’s time in America. Yet we still need a text that synthesizes Hume’s life and re-examines his legacy, like Sarah Campbell’s Gerry Fitt and the SDLP: ‘In a Minority of One’. A story that is yet untold which includes Hume’s relationships not just across these islands or in the USA, but with those across political parties, churches, and communities could reveal in even greater ways Hume’s impact.

Dr Maggie Scull is an Adjunct Professor of British and Irish History at Syracuse University London. Her first book, The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-98 was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. You can follow her on Twitter @maggiemscull

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