During the meeting, a frail Triple informed Ahern that he was ill and would likely get worse in the coming months. They looked into each other’s eyes and beamed — an enduring friendship born out of Northern Ireland’s bloody past that was still so strong at the end. “He was human to human, faced the realities of life and felt confident talking to me. He was able to tell me that he was in trouble, that he was going the wrong way,” Ahern said. That exact moment and the genuine look they gave each other was caught on camera. “It was emotional,” the former Taoiseach told the Sunday Independent, “I knew when I spoke it would be the last time I could say anything to him.” Later, as Ahern was leaving the university, he turned to Trimble, held out his hand and said: “I know it’s going to be a difficult time, I wish you well and I’ll be saying my prayers for you.”
We remember David Trimble
It was to be their last conversation together and the end of a friendship that did not stand in the way of a Border. In the days before this death, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to contact Tribble. He asked his former chief of staff Jonathan Powell to find out if the former Ulster Unionist Party leader would take a call. But it was too late. “I told Jonathan on Monday morning that the call is not possible, but a letter or a note would be greatly appreciated,” said David Campbell, Trimble’s friend and former chief of staff. Later that day the 77-year-old father-of-four died in Ulster Hospital. He didn’t get the months he had hoped or go on a final leave with his wife Daphne, as he told Ahern he wanted. Instead, Northern Ireland’s original first minister had spent the final weeks of his life reflecting on his contribution to peace and politics and relations across the island of Ireland. “We were hoping to meet for lunch in a couple of weeks, but it wasn’t to be, I wanted a few of us to give him a shout,” Campbell said. “I’ll never forget how he was driven because he didn’t want his children’s children to ever experience what he and they did during the Troubles.” The most important engagement was that last public appearance at Queen’s, where he ended his career in public service where it began and where he said farewell. In April, the former law lecturer at the university for 21 years accepted an appointment as an emeritus professor and agreed to allow a commissioned portrait of him by artist Colin Davidson to hang permanently in the Great Hall. Now he stands next to one of the senators George Mitchell, another key figure in the peace talks. There had been earlier attempts to persuade him to take up an emeritus professorship, but he turned it down due to his busy schedule. But this time was different. When he accepted it—as well as an annual lecture in his name—he was moved to tears. He knew it meant leaving behind a lasting legacy in the place that shaped him. “It’s a great pleasure for me to be here, it’s rather emotional for me to be here,” he said, his voice straining, when the plans were announced. It was part of a seven-month project at the university devised by Queen’s president and vice-chancellor Professor Ian Greer and director of engagements Ryan Feeney, who believed Trimble’s long association with the university and his contribution to peace in Northern Ireland needed to be recognized. When they learned he was unwell, the fact was aired. It was clear to those in attendance last month that Trimble was ill. However, there was “a sense of joy, recognition and nostalgia”. “There was a risk that he might not even live through the summer, that he might not see September or October. It made the situation more poignant,” said David Kerr, a former special counsel to Trimble, whose emotional speech had most of those in attendance in tears. “My last moment with David was to shake his hand and wish him a safe home. I knew he was ill but I didn’t think it would be the last time I would see him,” she told the Sunday Independent. Speaking at the event, Professor Greer said Trimble’s “strong legacy is the peace our students enjoy today, many of whom were born after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement”. In a video, former US President Bill Clinton said: “Of all the tributes we can pay you, the greatest testament to you is the fact that today a whole generation in Belfast and across Northern Ireland has grown up out of the shadow of hatred and violence.” Blair said of the generations “who will walk through these walls and look at David’s portrait, they will be reminded of the legacy of a passionate, determined peacemaker”. It was a path he walked with Ahern, who spoke from the heart and without notes that night. “You are a brave man,” he said, his eyes fixed on Tribble. “You did the right thing, but it took a tough man to do it. I honor you, greet you and thank you for your friendship.” …
