FACTUAL

JOHN HUME IN AMERICA, RTÉ ONE, TUESDAY 9.35PM

A campaigning civil rights activist who always steadfastly rejected the path of violence, John Hume realised early on that involving America in Northern Irish affairs was vital to a lasting resolution. Maurice Fitzpatrick’s solid and informative documentary tells the story of how the SDLP leader used the movers and shakers of the Irish diaspora in America to fundamentally change the dynamic in Northern Ireland by making the US a player in the region.

Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Bill Clinton, David Trimble, Jimmy Carter, Enda Kenny, Michael Lillis, Jean Kennedy Smith and Bono are among the documentary’s interviewees, who provide an insight into just how tirelessly Hume worked to resolve the North’s seemingly intractable problems.