"a leader of unwavering principle and determination through often difficult times and a stalwart of the Orange cause"
"imprint will last forever"
"an ever-present heavyweight in local politics, whose views were always important"
"He may not have been as prominent as others in the public sphere, but hugely influential behind the scenes,"
Rev Martin Smyth died at the age of 94. He served as grand master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland from 1972 to 1998. He was a Presbyterian minister who resigned his ministry and was elected as the Ulster Unionist Party MP for South Belfast in the 1982 by-election following the assassination of Rev Robert Bradford. He stood for UUP leadership in 1995 and finished fourth to David Trimble. He was described by the Grand Orange Lodge as a leader of unwavering principle and by colleagues as a soft-spoken, influential, conservative and often hardline unionist.
Read at www.bbc.com
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