(19 May 1998) English/Nat
In an unprecedented display of cross-community support for peace in Northern Ireland,
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and nationalist SDLP leader John Hume came together for the first time on Tuesday for the sake of the "Yes" campaign.
Along with U-2 rock star Bono, they stood on the banks of Belfast's River Lagan and urged a massive "Yes" vote in Friday's Northern Ireland referendum.
It was an unusual ensemble outside Belfast's Waterfront Hall.
For the first time ever, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and nationalist S-D-L-P leader John Hume came together for the sake of the "Yes" campaign.
The two politicians were joined by Irish rock legends U-2 and Tim Wheeler, the lead singer for the Northern Irish rock group Ash.
They stood on the banks of the River Lagan to urge a massive support in Friday's referendum for the Good Friday peace deal.
The cross-community gathering came shortly before Ash and U-2 were to star at a peace concert at Waterfront Hall, held for thousands of young people.
U-2 frontman Bono joked that the ensemble resembled "the good, the bad and the ugly", but wouldn't hazard a guess about who the "ugly" was.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Hopefully we can just highlight the good things when there is a lot of folk out there highlighting the bad things I suppose. You know I know Bob McCartney called all of these people silly and superficial is what he said today or yesterday, well they're not superficial. They are in fact the future and they are in fact our constituency to use your words."
SUPER CAPTION: Bono
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"His generation are the generation that fully understand this problem, their generation throughout their lives have suffered this problem and they want this to be the last generation who have and the future generations will leave this quarrel behind them and that is a very powerful message coming from our young people."
SUPER CAPTION: John Hume - SDLP leader
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It's going to give all of these people here a happy time, its also going to be indicating to everybody the sort of optimistic forward looking approach that we hope that people in Northern Ireland will take and respond to. I mean this is just good fun.
SUPER CAPTION: David Trimble - Ulster Unionist leader
The appearance of Trimble alongside Hume indicates the degree of concern at the
gathering pace of the "No" campaign, led by the Reverend Ian Paisley.
Upon hearing of his rivals' performance, he said Trimble was already "rocking" from dissent within his party and would be "rolling after most Protestants vote against compromise.
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