Gerry Adams meets Bill Clinton in the White House on St. Patrick's Day in 2000. Getty Images
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams will speak at an event in New York marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Adams and Clinton will speak at the free event "Reflections on The Good Friday Agreement: 25 Years of Peace & Progress" which will be hosted at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York City on Monday, April 3.
The event is organized by seven leading Irish American organizations, including Friends of Sinn Féin, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH), the James Connolly Labour Coalition, and the Brehon Law Society.
FREE EVENT: Join us on Monday, April 3, 2023 at @CooperUnion Great Hall, #NYC for an evening with President @BillClinton and @GerryAdamsSF at the event Reflections on The Good Friday Agreement: 25 Years of Peace & Progress.
Get your tickets here: https://t.co/HjySRPT6Fx pic.twitter.com/4rO6ywnHsy
— Brehon Law (@BrehonLawNYC) March 13, 2023
Organizers said: "Irish America is proud of the role they played to secure and safeguard the Good Friday Agreement.
"Peace in Ireland is the greatest American foreign policy success of the last 50 years. President Clinton was central to promoting a peaceful resolution of conflict from the granting of a visa for Gerry Adams and the appointment of a Special Envoy to a hands-on role in securing and protecting the Good Friday Agreement. Since leaving office, President Clinton has remained an advocate for peace and the success of the Good Friday Agreement.
"Gerry Adams was the President of Sinn Féin from 1983 to 2018. A commentator once said, 'there would have been a conflict without Gerry Adams. There would never have been a Good Friday Agreement without him.' He began to explore peace talks with John Hume in the late eighties. Alongside Sinn Féin negotiator Martin McGuinness and others, they convinced the IRA to call ceasefires, support the Good Friday Agreement, and eventually end their campaign. Sinn Féin is now the largest party in Ireland North and South.
"This event is an opportunity to hear directly from two key figures who shaped the Good Friday Agreement. It is also an opportunity for Irish America to look to the future and the potential of the next 25 years."
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Event co-ordinator Marty Glennon said in a statement that the Irish American community has been "steadfast" in its support of the Good Friday Agreement.
"Twenty-five years ago, Irish America united in the pursuit of peace and justice. The Good Friday Agreement was signed, and a new chapter in Irish history was written," Glennon said in a statement.
"We look back with pride, and we look to the future with optimism and hope that we realize fully the promise of the agreement."
LAOH President Marilyn Madigan said the event will help remember all advocates for peace and justice on both sides of the Atlantic.
"We especially recognize the impact of the women in the North of Ireland for their dedication and commitment to peace and justice issues. Their advocacy is making peace a reality for their children and grandchildren," Madigan said.
John Samuelsen, President of the James Connolly Labour Coalition, said the event will honor a generation of labor leaders who "contributed mightily toward peace and justice in the north of Ireland".
Friends of Sinn Féin President Mark Guilfoyle said the organization looks back "with pride" at the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
"Ireland is changing, and the agreement endures as we navigate a peaceful and democratic pathway to a new and united Ireland. Irish Americans will remain in lock step with the wishes of the people of Ireland."