Paying tribute Dr Kirkpatrick said:
“In his acceptance speech when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1998, awarded jointly with the late John Hume, Lord Trimble paid tribute to thousands of ‘heroes and heroines in Northern Ireland’ who carried out (in the words of Wordsworth) ‘little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love’. In doing so David Trimble recognised that the work of building peace involves many people, but without a doubt he was one of the leading peacemakers of his generation.
“It is therefore right today that we remember and honour Lord Trimble’s legacy – his personal courage, his ability to see a way forward to more peaceful future, and his tenacity in laying the foundation that enabled society to move to a better place. This was not without huge cost, not only to himself but also to his family, and we may never fully know the extent of the sacrifices both he and they made. We remember a man who provided leadership and committed himself to looking to the interests of others over and above his own.
“On behalf of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, of which Lord Trimble was a member, I would like to extend our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to his wife, Lady Trimble, his family, friends and former colleagues, and assure them of our prayers at this difficult time.”