David Trimble funeral: Death has finally brought him respect he deserves says biographer Lord Dean Godson

Lord Trimble’s official biographer told mourners that the Nobel laureate proved his critics in politics and the media wrong when they claimed he was not interested in a vision “beyond unionism and Orangeism”.

The author of ‘Himself Alone’, Lord Dean Godson described the ex-Ulster Unionist leader as “the most prestigious and substantial figure thrown up by unionism since the foundation of Northern Ireland in 1921”.

Lord Godson delivered one of the two tributes during the funeral service and said: “The distinguished congregation gathered here today in this church, at short notice in August, is proof-positive that the title of David’s biography ‘Himself Alone’ is in some urgent need for revision for David has never been less alone.”

He continued: “In death he is finally being afforded the respect and love from all communities on this island that he deserves, and did not always receive at the height of his powers.”

The Conservative peer and founder of the centre right London based think-tank Policy Exchange noted that Lord Trimble was the first unionist leader to make a “sustained effort” to sell unionism around the world, which had earned him “a global reputation”.

He said Lord Trimble had been politically acute to recognise “the emergence of modernising Fianna Fail taoiseach in Bertie Ahern” who was prepared to change Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution as part of an overall peace deal.

“He would have been delighted that Bertie Ahern was here today,” he said.

He said it was significant that Lord Trimble had drafted in a former Workers Party strategist, Eoghan Harris, to write his Nobel acceptance speech, which included the admission that pre-1969 Northern Ireland had been a “cold house for Catholics”.

As well as Mr Ahern the funeral was attended by the present Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the Irish President Michael D Higgins.