Early leader in the Irish civil rights movement, co-founder of the moderal Social Democratic and Labour Party. In 1985 as a member of the Northen Ireland Parliament he initiated private talks with Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, the political arm of the IRA. When the talks became public in 1993, both men were subjected to ferocious criticism, and physical attacks were made on the homes of SDLP members. Hume went on to architect the 1998 Good Friday Accord.

He formally retired from politics in 2004. On retirement he was praised across the political divide. In the words of former U.S. President Clinton, John Hume remains "Ireland's most tireless champion for civil rights and its most eloquent spokesman for peace."