Hillary and Ireland

oday, Hillary Clinton joined with Irish-Americans at Saint Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations in Scranton and Pittsburgh. Her visit came on the heels of a meeting with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, where she discussed the status of the peace process, the work of the new devolved government, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Northern Ireland.

As President, Hillary is committed to achieving lasting peace and reconciliation and to supporting the Northern Ireland government, building on her 13 years of working for peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.

“As the 10-year anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement approaches, I salute the brave and tireless efforts of the parties to the pact, and the contributions of so many citizens to the resolution of the conflict and the achievement of peace,” said Clinton. “As President, my administration will deepen and strengthen ties between the United States and Northern Ireland, and between the people of the United States and those who live on the island of Ireland.”

Hillary’s presidential agenda builds on her long record. She traveled to Northern Ireland seven times between 1995 and 2004, and gave what Northern Irish leader and Nobel Laureate John Hume recently described as “decisive support” to the peace process in Northern Ireland. Her work at the grassroots and behind-the-scenes helped cultivate the conditions necessary for the peace to take hold and last.

In fact, in recent days several people deeply involved in the peace process noted Hillary Clinton’s contributions. For example, in a recent interview in the Irish Times, Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein, said, “Senator Clinton played an important role in the peace process…I met the senator on many occasions when she was First Lady, and subsequently when she became a senator for New York State. I always found her to be extremely well informed on the issues.”

In an article published this week in the Irish-American paper, Irish Voice, Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland said, “She made a huge contribution towards lifting the esteem of women in our society by the fact of seeing someone of such high office taking an interest and concern in them. I think the events in Ireland at that time were incredible and remarkable and she certainly played an important part.”