US EditionFormer UUP MP Rev Martin Smyth Dies Aged 94
Rev Martin Smyth led the Orange Order for 26 years and served as MP for South Belfast over two decades, shaping unionist politics during Northern Ireland's turbulent period.
- On Friday, Rev Martin Smyth, former UUP MP for South Belfast, died at 94 and was described by unionist leaders as a `stalwart of unionism`.
- A Presbyterian minister, Smyth entered politics after Bradford's assassination in 1982, resigning his ministry to take the South Belfast parliamentary seat and serving for over 20 years.
- Smyth served as Grand Master of the Orange Lodge from 1972 until 1998 and finished fourth in the 1995 UUP leadership contest won by David Trimble.
- Political and fraternal organisations issued statements praising Smyth's service on August 22, 2025, with Nesbitt, Allister and Robinson offering condolences and the Grand Orange Lodge calling him `a leader of unwavering principle and determination through often difficult times and a stalwart of the Orange cause`.
- Known for a restrained style, Smyth wielded notable behind-the-scenes influence, and although described as conservative and sometimes hardline, his broadcasting background bolstered his standing in the unionist community.
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Tributes paid to ‘stalwart of unionism’ Rev Martin Smyth
The former South Belfast MP has died at the age of 94.
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources7
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 33%
C 67%
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