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.
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,
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