John Hume was our Prince of Peace - People in Derry city centre pay tribute

Local women Anne Wilson from Galliagh and Rita Campbell from Lone Moor Road were among those who wanted to record their own messages of sympathy.

Speaking to the Journal afterwards about John Hume, Anne said: “He was very good in Derry. I remember meeting him down the Strand a few years ago and leaving him home. I also remember me and my husband and another couple were down in DaVinci’s and John was in and we were chatting and John says, ‘I’ve something for yous’, and he went out and brought us in two little bottles of whiskey. It was to do with him getting the Nobel Peace Prize. I still have it sitting in my cabinet.”

Rita said John would be remembered for many things, not least “for starting the Credit Union and putting the people of Derry on their feet”.

Queen’s University politics, economics and philosophy student Finn Porter from the Waterside was among the younger generation showing a new appreciation for John Hume. Finn wrote in the Book of Condolence: “To silence the gun without death is really the work of a great man.”

He elaborated: “He was always a big idol of mine, particularly the role he played in the Peace Process here. It is a real tragedy not just for the city, not just for Northern Ireland, but for the whole world. The thing he should be respected for most is he rose above party politics in a way that no-one has done since.”

His mother Irene Pender agreed. She said John Hume’s philosophy of bringing people into talks was inspirational, “when before when peace talks were going on, you excluded and you never get anywhere like that. That’s the model now that can be used in a lot of countries.”

Paddy and Kathleen Doherty from Foyle Springs agreed that John Hume has “done so much for this city” and is a “big loss without a doubt”.

“When everybody else was fighting he tried to keep the middle ground,” Paddy said.

James Blackwell from Limerick and Lynn Culhane from Clare were also among those paying their respects. “It’s very sad. He did an awful lot for the north and the Peace Process, so we just thought to come and pay our respects,” James said.

John and Lorraine McCole from Galway had been holidaying with their children in Donegal and paid their respects while visiting Derry. “I remember John Hume and Seamus Mallon being on the TV in the 1980s, and the Anglo-Irish Agreement, and the 1998 Agreement, and Bono with himself and David Trimble on stage,” John said. Lorraine added: “He did so much for the peace process. I’d say things would be very different if it wasn’t for him.”

Hugh Good from Belfast had met John Hume once in a pub and said “he struck me as the kind of man who had the time of day for anyone, who was willing to chat to anyone and was a friendly man.”

John Kenny from Ballina said: “Peace was just the ultimate goal with John Hume and the betterment of everybody, not just in Derry. He was a special human. He was a great ambassador.

“He loved this city and he wanted the best for everybody that was suffering, especially here in the six counties.

“Our prince of peace here in Ireland will now meet the prince of Heaven.”