On the fifth anniversary of the passing of Pat Hume, an oak tree was planted today, Wednesday 2 September 2026, in honour of Pat Hume in the grounds of St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry. The tree was planted next a tree also planted in remembrance of her late husband John Hume.
Pat Hume’s daughters Áine and Thérèse, alongside other family members were present along with Bishop Donal McKeown, Fr Paul Farren. Mark Durkan and Mark H Durkan MLA.
In reflecting on Pat’s life, below we have included Aidan Hume’s Eulogy and tributes paid to Pat:
Eulogy By Aidan Hume for his Mum Pat
Aidan Hume, St Eugene’s Cathedral Monday 6 September
Unfortunately, four of Mum’s grandchildren, Roisin, Ruairi, Ronan and Ciara cannot be with us today, however while they may not be here physically, they are all with us in spirit.
My mother’s maternal grandmother lived with a large family in a 2 roomed cottage on the side of a mountain in Barnes in Donegal, a place she often visited.
Asked about her family history, she commented on their generosity to any passing caller “No one was ever turned away.”- if they needed food or a bed for the night, despite the hardships they faced themselves.
Mum learned that lesson well and this defined her attitude towards life and living.
Born in 1938 as the youngest of a family of six, Babs Hone was, as she would always say, a war baby, and the scrapings of the pot.
Like many of her generation she was the first in her family to go to University, turning down a place in pharmacy at Queen’s for teacher training in St Mary’s in Belfast. Mum chose her career well – she loved teaching and was great at it.
Her interest in the Irish language through school and college years took her to Irish colleges in Teilann, Rannafast and Rosgill – where she made lifelong friends.
Dad would often say that he was a parcel and Mum delivered him. But that only tells a small part of the story.
Mum was at his right hand throughout his entire life – his best friend, his closest confidante, his loving wife, his trusted adviser, his political antennae. ….and (and I don’t think dad would mind me saying this) she was most definitely the more glamourous side of the partnership.
And that’s before we consider the endless back scratching, moderating his chocolate intake, and putting up with him having his dessert whilst she was still eating her main course.
For us, she was the calm at the centre of chaotic times, able to impart a sense of safety and love, which sustained us when the world around us was full of uncertainties. No matter how crazy or difficult the situation, she was unflappable.
Mum loved to laugh and her laughter was infectious. As a family we were happiest squeezed around the kitchen table, crying with laughter at some story – often told by her sister Ella.
She found great solace in nature and loved walking, as children taking us on evening walks to Bunbeg harbour to see the boats and smell the honeysuckle.
She’d climb from Burt chapel to Grianan with us when we were teenagers, and somehow after a walk and a chat, any problems we were having that day would seem less important.
In later years, she walked the Moville coastal path, a short walk often turning into many long conversations, as she’d chat to everyone. There was no such thing as a quick walk with Pat Hume.
Mum always focused on the positives in life – always smiling, always happy. She was deeply spiritual and had an incredible faith, but it was a private faith. She tried to guide us and let us discover it for ourselves, rather than imposing it upon us.
As a mother, one of the greatest gifts she gave us was the fundamental knowledge that we were loved – unconditionally- and this love has carried us all through different circumstances in our own lives.
Her grandchildren knew she was special – she adored them all and made sure they knew it. Her two great grand-children also gave her great joy.
Mum always had the good fortune to have great neighbours, in Beechwood Avenue, West End Park, Greencastle and in recent years in Clarendon Manor.
Mum remained deeply interested in politics and the radio was on most of the day, RTE at the weekends and radio Foyle during the week. Right up to the end, she was always there to provide advice and wise counsel to today’s leadership of the SDLP.
In lockdown, for the first time in her life she had time to watch TV, and developed a love for period dramas – How Green is My Valley, Cranford, the Barchester Chronicles were all lockdown favourites. And when she had finished a box set she would often start it again – because she enjoyed it so much the first time.
Human connection was fundamental to Mum’s existence – Mum was a people person. She treated everyone she met with the same respect and same remarkable grace, no matter where they were from or whatever their station in life.
She had an incredible ability to establish a special connection with everyone she met and to find a way to brighten up the lives of everyone around her.
Mum knew everyone and everyone knew Mum – that was just the way she was. A trip to the supermarket with her always seemed to be a half day event. As her great friend and colleague John Tierney would often say, ‘the only person that could beat John Hume in an election in Derry was Pat!’
We cannot find the words to express what an amazing person she was. Whilst we are all sad today, we are all beyond grateful for the life of this incredible woman, our mother, our friend, our guide and our mentor.
As her spirit rises to meet again with Dad, her sisters Ella and Sadie; her brothers Tommy and Patsy; and her many good friends including Joan and Anna, who passed away recently, we pray that the spirit of warmth, kindness and wisdom she embodied continues to live through all of us.
Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dhilis
May her sweet soul rest at the right hand of God
President Michael D. Higgins
The life of Pat Hume was one of total commitment to community, to the possibilities of peace, to the measures of non-violence that were necessary to assert, vindicate and achieve the results of civil rights.
Fr Paul Farren Homily for Pat Hume
Pat Hume was a “humble and beautiful person who always put others first.
“Much has been said about John and Pat and their unity in peacemaking, and it’s all true. And if John brought the brilliant mind to the peacemaking, then Pat brought the pure heart.”
Colum Eastwood MP
“Without Pat Hume, there would have been no peace process in Ireland, that’s the simple truth. The compassion, integrity and immense fortitude that defined her incredible character breathed life into our peace over the course of a long campaign that, at times, must have looked like it would never bear fruit. She never gave up faith.
Pat Hume was a gracious, determined force behind the achievement of peace in Ireland. She and her husband John both made the world a better place and set an example for us all.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
A devoted wife of Nobel Prize winner, the late John Hume, she was his partner in family life and in political life. Pat and John worked side by side for decades. She was his trusted adviser at key political moments and his anchor in their beloved Derry.
President Clinton
Pat Hume played an enormous role in achieving peace in Northern Ireland. All of us who were blessed by the way she lived her life & advanced her cause with such grace, courage & good humor will be forever grateful. My condolences to her family and the people of Northern Ireland.
Hilary Clinton
“Everybody else was talking about a divided society and the negativity of that, John and Pat were talking in a very positive way about the benefits of the fact we have a very diverse society.”
Mark Durkan on the award to Pat Hume of the 2018 Irish Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award:
“Pat Hume has been a perpetual tonic in the gravest of times. No matter what predicament people were in, be it through violence or social deprivation, Pat had an instinct and always found a way to lift you. Pat Hume has a true humanitarian ethic. She has given a lifetime of service and example to us all just through the steadfast support she has shown to John during many difficult years but she has been a source of heart and hope when the hurt was its worst.”
Fr Paul Farren speaking about Pat Hume, in his homily at the funeral of John Hume in August 2020;
“We pray especially for you Pat. There is an old comment that says behind every good man there is a good woman. In Pat’s case this is one quarter of the truth. Pat stood behind John to defend him and support him. She stood beside him to love him and accompany him even in the most difficult times and when his health failed and his mind got weaker she walked in front of him to lead him. Pat encircled John with love, compassion and support and it was your presence that made his work possible. When the history of Ireland is written if Pat Hume’s name is not beside John’s it will be an incomplete history.”
Click here to read “Pat Hume: The woman who never gave up” by Monica McWilliams, Irish Times Sat, Aug 8, 2020.
