John Hume - alumnus of Maynooth University
Maynooth University is proud to honour John Hume and his wife Pat Hume in the naming of our research scholarship in recognition of their work for peace in Ireland.
Born in Derry/Londonderry, John Hume was the second leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 1979 to 2001. He has served as a member of the European Parliament and a member of the UK parliament, as well as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland and one of the architects of the Northern Ireland peace process. To co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize with David Trimble in 1998, Hume was also recognised with the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Martin Luther King Award - he is the only recipient of all three major peace awards. In 2010, he was named 'Ireland's Greatest' in a public poll by RTÉ. It is fitting that Maynooth University recognises the contribution of John and Pat Hume to peace on the island of Ireland.