For
his role in helping to bring about a peace agreement in Northern
Ireland after years of demonstrations, lobbying and negotiations,
Catholic-born Irish politician John Hume shared the 1998 Nobel
Peace Prize. After the peace agreement was reached, US President
Bill Clinton, who strongly supported the Northern Ireland peace
process, declared, that John Hume is "Ireland's most tireless
champion for civil rights and its most eloquent spokesman for
peace." After retiring from politics in 2004, John Hume continues
to actively promote various social issues, such as ending global
poverty, promoting Credit Unions as a better banking alternative,
and the further integration of European nations. He continues
to be heralded as one of the most important figures in Irish history
- in a 2010 Northern Ireland national poll John Hume was named
"Ireland's Greatest."
