John Hume, the former Social Democratic and Labour Party leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, died aged 83. Here he is pictured in 1969. Getty Images
In this file photo taken on May 19, 1998 showing Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, left, and John Hume shaking hands on stage during a concert given by U2 in Belfast to campaign for a Yes vote for the Good Friday Agreement peace referendum in Northern Ireland. AFP
John Hume in buoyant mood on May 21, 1998, as he arrives for a breakfast meeting with then British prime minister Tony Blair and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble at Dunadry Hotel to encourage a Yes vote for a Northern Ireland peace referendum. EPA
Tony Blair, centre, talks to the media after a meeting with David Trimble, left, and John Hume. AFP
In this March 17, 2000 photo, then US president Bill Clinton meets with Northern Ireland leaders Gerry Adams, John Hume and David Trimble at the White House in Washington. AFP
In this December 10, 1998 file photo, John Hume, right, looks at the Nobel Peace Prize diploma that he received from Francis Sejersted, left, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee, during the award ceremony in Oslo Town Hall. AP Photo
John Hume arrives at No 10 Downing Street before talks with Tony Blair on the Northern Ireland Good Friday peace talks crisis. EPA
In this March 5, 2014 photo, Bill Clinton, right, walks with John Hume and his wife Pat across the Peace Bridge in Derry, Northern Ireland. AP Photo
Bill Clinton poses with John Hume at the Guildhall in Derry on the same day. AP Photo
John Hume arrives for the funeral of the former Bishop of Derry, Dr Edward Daly, at St Eugene's Cathedral in the city four years ago. Getty Images
How much are "two balls of roasted snow" worth? Not much. But this is what Nobel laureate John Hume famously gave for those who suggested that he was on the wrong path to building peace in Northern Ireland.
His remark pointed to a single-mindedness that alienated party colleagues, earned him media criticism and led to him being accused of delivering his so-called single transferable speech – the same points over and over again.
But Hume, who died on Monday aged 83, had the last laugh because the post-nationalist vision he so relentlessly championed ended up at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 deal that took Northern Ireland, as one observer put it, "from something like war, to something like peace".
In an age of reality-TV presidents, Hume’s death sees him re-emerge as a figure of the utmost seriousness. Not in his personal dealings – the Derryman could be affable, and his singing was up there with the best of Ireland’s famously musical politicians – but his fixation on ending decades of discrimination as well as paramilitary and state violence energised and consumed him.
Pigeons fly past a mural depicting John Hume and other Nobel laureates, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela in Derry, Northern Ireland. AFP
The funeral procession of John Hume arrives at St Eugene's Cathedral in Derry on Tuesday. Reuters
Mourners waiting for the funeral procession of John Hume gather outside St Eugene's Cathedral. Reuters
A mourner waiting for the funeral procession of John Hume holds a candle outside St Eugene's Cathedral. Reuters
The remains of John Hume are taken into St Eugene's Cathedral. AFP
Members of the family carry the coffin of John Hume into St Eugene's Cathedral. AP Photo
Pat Hume, left, is pictured alongside family members as her late husband John Hume lies at rest in St Eugene's Cathedral. Getty Images
Pat Hume, right, lights a candle at St Eugene's Cathedral. Getty Images
John Hume lies at rest in St Eugene's Cathedral. Getty Images
Colum Eastwood, the current leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, speaks to the media while waiting for the funeral of John Hume outside St Eugene's Cathedral. Reuters
A floral tribute in memory of John Hume is pictured at the Free Derry Corner in Derry. Reuters
A floral tribute is pictured at the Free Derry wall in the Bogside area for John Hume in Derry. AFP
A photograph and message is pictured at the Free Derry wall in the Bogside area for John Hume in Derry. AFP
Cricketers and umpires observe a minute's silence for John Hume - a cricket fan - as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of Covid-19 in Southampton on Tuesday. Reuters
This is not the stuff of the career politician. Hume, who had already displayed his innate seriousness by initially choosing to study for the priesthood, turned to the distinctly unglamorous grind of local politics in Derry. Housing rights, schools, visiting those picked up by the police or British army: Hume and those around him knew first-hand what the absence of peace looked and felt like.
Hume often said it was his role in the credit union movement – in which my maternal grandfather John McCluskey rubbed shoulders with the young future Nobel laureate – that gave him most pride.
Still, then, a world away from international peace conferences and Nobel Prizes, Hume had decided early on how a settlement in Northern Ireland would look, and would to talk to anyone to make it a reality. For him, making peace in this way would mean considerable personal and political sacrifice.
Disgruntled colleagues in his Social Democratic and Labour Party accused him of ignoring their advice, particularly over the divisive issue of talking to the republican movement. One suspects Hume knew that bringing Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein into the political process would spell disaster for the SDLP – this sort of political sacrifice to achieve a goal has few parallels.
On a personal level, too, he suffered. Photographs of Hume, weeping at the gravesides of eight people gunned down by loyalist paramilitaries in 1993, made it clear he knew full well the price of failure and the need to persevere, even when the odds seemed stacked against him. That he fell into dementia in his later years, his achievements shrouded in a fog of forgetting, seemed an extravagant cruelty.
Being a “peacemaker” can sometimes be unfairly conflated with a hippy-ish, milquetoast tendency. But Hume’s triumph reveals the patience, pragmatism and persistence needed to be left at the end of the day holding more than a handful of roasted snow.
Gulf Men’s League
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Sports City Eagles
Pool B – Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf Men’s Open
Pool A – Bahrain Firbolgs, Arabian Knights, Yalla Rugby, Muscat
Pool B – Amman Citadel, APB Dubai Sharks, Jebel Ali Dragons 2, Saudi Rugby
Pool C – Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2, Roberts Construction, Dubai Exiles 2
Pool D – Dubai Tigers, UAE Shaheen, Sharjah Wanderers, Amman Citadel 2
Gulf U19 Boys
Pool A – Deira International School, Dubai Hurricanes, British School Al Khubairat, Jumeirah English Speaking School B
Pool B – Dubai English Speaking College 2, Jumeirah College, Dubai College A, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2
Pool C – Bahrain Colts, Al Yasmina School, DESC, DC B
Pool D – Al Ain Amblers, Repton Royals, Dubai Exiles, Gems World Academy Dubai
Pool E – JESS A, Abu Dhabi Sharks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1, EC
Gulf Women
Pool A – Kuwait Scorpions, Black Ruggers, Dubai Sports City Eagles, Dubai Hurricanes 2
Pool B – Emirates Firebirds, Sharjah Wanderers, RAK Rides, Beirut Aconites
Pool C – Dubai Hurricanes, Emirates Firebirds 2, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Transforma Panthers
Pool D – AUC Wolves, Dubai Hawks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf U19 Girls
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, BSAK, DESC, Al Maha
Pool B – Arabian Knights, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors Power: 639hp Torque: 1,130Nm Transmission: Single-speed automatic Touring range: 591km Price: From Dh412,500 On sale: Deliveries start in October
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
