1998 – John Hume, Northern Irish peacemaker
Eloquent, humorous and passionate in his conviction, John Hume became a leading figure in the Irish civil rights movement in the late 1960s, and an independent member of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1969. The following year, he and his associates founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party, whose moderate...
1998 – David Trimble, Northern Ireland peacemaker
David Trimble was an apparent Protestant “hard liner” when he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, the mainstream Protestant party in Northern Ireland, in 1995. He surprised both his followers and his opponents when he agreed to meet with John Hume and other leaders of the major parties...
1976 – Mairead Maguire and Betty Williams, The Peace People
In 1976, 27 year old Mairead Maguire was walking down the street in Northern Ireland with three of her nieces and nephews, when they were hit by an IRA getaway car. The driver had been shot by a British soldier. All three children were killed. Betty Williams came on the...