Trimble became Northern Ireland’s first minister in the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing government set up under the accord. It was soon rocked by disagreements over disarming the IRA, and Trimble’s party was overtaken in public support by the more hardline Democratic Unionist Party.
Trimble resigned as party leader and lost his seat in Britain’s Parliament in 2005. He spent the final decade and a half of his life as a member of Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords.
Rev. Charles McMullen said in a eulogy that Trimble’s actions had “saved many lives and allowed a generation to grow up in relative peace.”
“History will be exceedingly kind to David, even if life brought many unrelenting pressures and demands,” he said.
McMullen urged politicians to honor Trimble by working to end Northern Ireland's current political crisis. The Belfast government is suspended amid a dispute over post-Brexit trade rules that some politicians say don't protect Northern Ireland's status within the U.K. enough.
“Can we use this service today, in a fitting tribute to one of the great, to redouble our efforts on this island home of ours?" McMullen asked.
Irish president Michael D Higgins, right, arrives for the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Irish president Michael D Higgins, right, arrives for the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
From left, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly Alex Maskey, former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, and Barbara De Brun, arrive for the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
From left, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly Alex Maskey, former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, and Barbara De Brun, arrive for the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
Lady Daphne Trimble at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Lady Daphne Trimble at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
The funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
Former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is seen after the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is seen after the funeral of former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader David Trimble, who died last week aged 77, at Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 1, 2022. Trimble helped end decades of violence in Northern Ireland by shunning his hardline unionist past and negotiating with a former foe in pursuit of a goal they both shared: Peace. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Credit: Liam McBurney
Credit: Liam McBurney
