Press Statement by the John and Pat Hume Foundation on New Annual John Hume Peace Prize
John Hume jr, Chair of the John and Pat Hume Foundation said:
“Our family and the John and Pat Hume Foundation are deeply appreciative that Taoiseach Micheál Martin has today announced that the Irish government is to establish and fund a new annual peace prize honouring the work and legacy of Nobel Peace Laureate John Hume.”
“We are grateful that the Taoiseach announced this prize at the start of the Irish Presidency of the Council and in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The European Parliament was his spiritual home and the European Union inspired him in the journey of peace and reconciliation in Ireland. As John Hume often said; ‘the European Union is the best example of conflict resolution in the history of the world.’
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, speaking in Strasbourg said:
“For me a visit to this chamber always brings to mind one of the most distinguished former MEPs and unquestionably one of the greatest figures in modern Irish history, John Hume.
He remains the only MEP to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while serving in the Parliament.
While he represented Northern Ireland, he spoke for the vast majority on our island who wanted a future free of the sectarian violence inflicted on our society by an unaccountable few.
He was not just our visionary of peace, he was a passionate advocate for peace and prosperity through a shared European future.
Just as the great generation which secured our independence brought us to membership of the European Union, John Hume directed us to its values and the opportunities for reconciliation and breaking the historic cycle of distrust and conflict.
So for 25 years he both led the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland, he came here as an MEP to work with others to define and built a new future for his community, our island and the people of Europe.
Just outside this hemicycle, there is a bust of John, as a fitting memorial to how important the Parliament’s work can be.
He came from the city of Derry on the very North-West edge of Northern Ireland. His community experienced great poverty, division and conflict.
In his Nobel lecture, John spoke about how inspired he was by this place and the European Union.
He spoke of his first visit to Strasbourg and standing with a sense of wonder in the middle of the bridge from Strasbourg to Kehl.
He was moved by the almost inconceivable success of leaving behind a tradition of savage conflict between nations and replacing it with a new era of cooperation.
John was both a visionary and an immensely practical man. He saw obstacles, but he also saw how to move them out of the way.
To honour his legacy, later this year we will be establishing and funding a new annual prize in his name. This will be awarded to a European who has contributed to the values which John advocated for and to the further development of our Union.
John had the vision to see the narrative of Ireland’s path to peace and prosperity in the wider narrative of Europe. As he saw it, the road to lasting progress is built in shedding our sweat together, rather than our blood.
It is a vision that is as relevant today, as when he graced this Parliamentary chamber.”
