Hume: Peter Barry was atrue peacemaker who firmly opposed violence
JOHN Hume has hailed Ireland’s former Tanaiste Peter Barry as a peacemaker of great courage.
The wealthy businessman and shrewd political deal maker was a key player in Anglo-Irish relations during one of the most difficult periods of the Troubles in the mid-1980s.
He died on Friday aged 88 and his funeral will be held at St Michael’s Church, Blackrock, in Cork this morning.
The founder of the SDLP and Nobel Prize-winning peace process architect Mr Hume said he was a source of strength for all who stood against violence.
“Peter was a constant companion to the North throughout our most challenging times as we walked the treacherous path to peace,” he said.
“Implacable in his opposition to all forms of violence and injustice, he will long be remembered in this island’s story as a man of great courage and courtesy.”
The businessman, who built the Barry’s Tea brand into a household name in Ireland, forged a successful political career spanning decades.
But it was in his role as Foreign Affairs Minister in the years leading up to the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement — credited with being a stepping stone to the Good Friday Agreement — that he is best remembered.
Mr Hume said it was not just his work on negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement between Irish premier Garret FitzGerald and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that distinguished him but also his commitment to its faithful implementation.
The accord gave Ireland a consultative role on Northern Ireland affairs for the first time and met the fiercest of unionist protests.
Mr Hume noted: “He keenly understood that historic handshakes marked the beginning, not the end, of our challenges.”