June 2023: Representative Richard Neal and Northern Ireland's First Minister-designate Michelle O'Neill on Capitol Hill.@RepRichardNeal, X
Michelle O’Neill was congratulated on becoming the First Minister of Northern Ireland by Congressman Richard Neal (D - Ma) during a session in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 7.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Michelle O’Neill on her election to serve as the First Minister of Northern Ireland, the first Irish Nationalist leader in history to hold that seat, and also for the tone she set by pledging to be a leader for all of the people of Northern Ireland,” Neal said in the House on Wednesday.
“After two years of delays and two successive elections in which the people made their voices heard, parties will once again sit in government and resume the difficult work of legislating.
“The domestic institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement have been critical in sustaining peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland and, as a guarantor of that Agreement, the United States has been indispensable in its role of continuing to uphold the principles of self-government, ensuring that progress will continue to be made over the last years and into the future.
“I have no doubt that the people of Northern Ireland should be proud of these institutions and look forward to the realization of renewed stability with the return of a power-sharing government.”
This morning, I spoke on the House floor to congratulate Michelle O'Neill on her election to serve as First Minister of Northern Ireland - the first Irish Nationalist in history to hold the seat.
She will be a leader for all people of Northern Ireland. pic.twitter.com/E73UzRZkhp
— Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) February 7, 2024
O’Neill, the Vice President of Sinn Féin, formally became the First Minister of Northern Ireland last Saturday, February 3 when power-sharing finally resumed following nearly two years of collapse.
O'Neill was entitled to the First Minister position after Sinn Féin, for the first time ever, emerged as the largest party in Northern Ireland during the region's May 2022 elections.
Neal, a co-chair of the Friends of Ireland Caucus in Congress who frequently engages on Irish issues, posted on X on January 30 welcoming the news that power-sharing was set to be restored in Northern Ireland:
When the US helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, it was to ensure that all communities had a voice in the pursuit of peace and prosperity.
With the restoration of power-sharing on the horizon, the people are the winners. Their voices will be heard once again. https://t.co/naorlFCjlm
— Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) January 30, 2024
On Saturday, he again posted on X, this time congratulating O'Neill:
Congratulations to Michelle O’Neill on her election to serve as First Minister of Northern Ireland - the first Irish nationalist leader in history to hold the seat. The people made their voices heard in two successive elections, & now the parties can resume the people’s business. https://t.co/3jRXsDVMfN
— Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) February 3, 2024
Neal is among a number of Irish American politicians who have welcomed the long-awaited restoration of Stormont in recent days.
O'Neill was congratulated in the House of Representatives as Ireland's Tánaiste Micheál Martin continues his US visit, heading to Chicago on Wednesday after meeting leading politicians, including Rep Neal, in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
Next month, 11 Irish politicians will head to the US as part of the Irish Government's annual St. Patrick's Day Programme, which this year aims to promote "Ireland's Future in the World."