John Hume: 'His legacy will endure for generations'
In times more ordinary, this would have been a final farewell to draw thousands to Londonderry's St Eugene's Cathedral.
By David WilsonBBC News NI An occasion to honour a statesman, to remember and to celebrate a peacemaker. But it was not to be that way. In other years, in other times, you may have expected politicians, prime ministers and presidents, a crowd of thousands and not the 100 mourners inside the cathedral. Several hundred more came together in the rain outside to say their good bye to John Hume. This is a city where John Hume's mark is everywhere. Such is the respect bestowed on him in these parts, many who would have wanted to remember a man revered in Derry, stayed at home. It was what his wife, Pat, so widely regarded as the great woman behind the great man, had asked people. It is clear many have honoured that wish. Those who did come stood outside the cathedral grounds, first in solemn silence as the wicker coffin carrying John Hume was carried from the cathedral, then there was spontaneous applause, cries of "thank you John". Flanked by the cathedral choir, singing Abide with Me, the Nobel Laureate was carried away on a final journey to the city cemetery. More people lined the streets and further applause met the cortège. Those who had come, came to remember a man who led the way to peace, and still remained one of their own; a fierce, dogged advocate for Derry. 'Creating the peace' This is the place John Hume loved so well, a place where now he will rest in peace. Mandy Hume, whose husband is a nephew of the Nobel laureate, said it is their 19-year-old son's generation to whom he leaves the greatest legacy. "He has seen the tributes and thought it was amazing, and that John must have been such a big character," she said. "But I don't think that generation can realise how much impact that he had in peace here. "Or that it was John who was one of the main characters in creating that peace." Daniel McGrath from Strabane was only four-years-old when the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. "Obviously, I have no recollection of it but its legacy still stands to this day," he said. "There is peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and that is down to how John influenced politics across the board." Standing outside the cathedral, he added: "His legacy will go on for generations."