Funeral reflection: Trimble was a colossus and a truly great man – whether we agree with him or not

On Monday I set off on the train, to arrive two hours later in Lambeg, followed by a short walk to Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, Lisburn.

The weather was calm, mild, and sunny as I joined the people who had come to pay their respects to the family of (Lord) David Trimble.

We chatted as a group of David’s life and why we were there; whether we agreed politically or not with him, all of us knew he had been a man of tremendous influence in the development of our country, Northern Ireland – in fact a colossus.

About six weeks ago my wife and I were sitting close by David and his wife Daphne in Heathrow, en route to Belfast, as I thought about asking him about the shenanigans going on at Westminster.

However, realising how ill he looked, I did not speak to him.

I have a friend who worked with David in their Westminster office some years back, who testifies how a strong character he was and was still in touch with him.

What I admired about David was how he was deeply involved with the Agreement all those years back, yet at the time he died how concerned he was with the Protocol and all its effects.

As the hearse left the church en route to the cemetery, the rain started to fall, as if there was tears falling from the sky for such a truly great man.

Robert Wilson, Coleraine

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