It comes to all men in the end, but David Trimble’s death has left many floundering with the inevitability that even the fiercest fire can dampen and die.
Yesterday, a week after his death the shock lingered as hundreds gathered for his funeral in Co Antrim, his grieving family was carried along by the gentle support of friends who knew him best.
But against the backdrop of quiet grief, David Trimble was not remembered as an easy man or even a man with a gentle touch. He was remembered as thran, spikey, complex and difficult, a man who used everything in his armoury without looking back to help carry Northern Ireland to a place of relative peace.
Read more: Bill Clinton hails David Trimble for helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland
And if some of the descriptions felt a little uncomfortable and in contrast to the glowing accolades that death tends to engender, they were met with nodding heads and wry smiles around Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church at his funeral in Lisburn on Monday.
For they were a match for the man, plainly spoken truths, searingly honest feelings, a clear reflection of much of who he was.
But one tribute in particular though, engulfed all the others in its simplicity and power, negating any unease.
Lord Trimble’s close friend and biographer, Dean Godson told mourners that David Trimble was a man driven by one thing, love. Not simpering, soppy love, not gentle, warming love, but fierce, loyal and protective love.
Lord Godson said Mr Trimble’s love of his wife Daphne, his children Richard, Victoria, Nicholas and Sarah, his family and friends, the love of his community, his country, of his God and life itself was what drove him on and is what he should be remembered for.
For without these great loves, David Trimble’s power to act, his need to do the right thing at the right time, his determination to keep going, to create change despite great personal cost would have been done with lesser reasons on weaker foundations.
The Tory peer said: “In death [David] is finally being afforded the respect and love from all communities on this island that he deserves, and did not always receive in the height of his powers.
“The distinguished congregation gathered here today in this church, at short notice in August, is proof-positive that the title of David’s biography, Himself Alone, is in some urgent need of revision for David has never been less alone.
“David leaves this world with the blessing of a good name here on earth, the most substantial figure thrown up by unionism since the foundation of Northern Ireland in 1921.”
Bangor-born Lord Trimble died on July 25, aged 77 after a short illness. His passing was announced a week ago by his family through the Ulster Unionist Party, the party he had led from 1995 to 2005.
The news carried with it a sense of shock that Lord Trimble had succumbed to illness that robbed him so efficiently and cruelly of his energy, his plans for the future and finally his life.
Yesterday around 500 people attended his family church on the outskirts of his adopted home of Lisburn, Co Antrim.
Among them was a butcher and joiners, plumbers and teachers, nurses and home makers, there were old men and women, teenagers, children and babies, the regular but vital folk who make up Northern Ireland’s community.
In their midst was a Prime Minister, a President, Lords of the realm and party leaders and members, unionists, nationalists and republicans, security staff and political advisors, among them many who could recall personally the man they had come to mourn.
Former moderator of the Presbyterian Church In Ireland, the Very Rev Dr Charles McMullen reminded mourners of the sacrifice not just of Lord Trimble, but of his family, saying: “They gave him to us and we want to take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation to them.
“So many have said over these past few days, history will be exceedingly kind to David even if life brought many unrelenting pressures and demands. David and Daphne made life as normal as possible for their children, but we cannot avoid mentioning the terrible years of the Troubles. I can remember visiting the family just after David’s election as MP and being overwhelmed at the sight of security installations.
“Daphne listened to the news and on that basis worked out when her husband would be home. She spoke to me about worrying as she waited for her husband to return home from a political meeting, feeling relieved as she heard his car turning into the drive, but then tensing again as she waited for him to be safely inside.
“As First Minister, David had to cut short a family holiday in order to get home to visit Omagh in the aftermath of that terrible bombing which killed so many, an experience that left him utterly devastated but doubled his determination to keep building bridges and working for peace.
“And I can remember bumping into him days after the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement and hearing how afterwards on his way home he had gone to a hole in the wall but could not remember his pin number. That was an indication of being under almost unbearable stress, but then he always had the courage of his convictions and was prepared to pay the cost.
“[Described as] a man of vision and courage, I am not sure how Lord Trimble himself, who was quintessentially, shy, modest and reserved, would have responded to such glowing accolades but they are entirely deserved and completely true.
“Providence shone its light on him and gave him a moment. Alongside others, he rose to seemingly impossible challenges with considerable strength of character, intellectual acumen and complete integrity. The reward for all of us has been a radically changed landscape here in Northern Ireland, which has saved many lives and allowed a generation to grow up in relative peace.
“And he highlighted thousands of people who have borne witness in their lives, by carrying out what Wordsworth called ‘those little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love’.
As the service ended for Lord Trimble and the media prepared to record his final journey on to Blaris Cemetery, about 100 members of the public demonstrated their own act of kindness and love, standing in silent tribute to say goodbye and perhaps thanks to the last of Northern Ireland’s great peacemakers, William David Trimble.
READ NEXT:
- Lord Trimble – Good Friday Agreement architect and former UUP leader – dies
- David Trimble’s journey from Drumcree hardliner to peace prize winner and leader
- David Trimble: Leading figures across the peace process era and political divide pay tribute
- Good Friday Agreement has survived almost 25 years despite objections says Lord Trimble
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
