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69-669: The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is organized under the auspices of the US-Ireland Alliance , a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Arlington, VA. The program was established in 1998, created by US-Ireland Alliance president Trina Vargo with early support from the Irish and British Governments. Over the last decade, the program has been largely funded by the United States Department of State , with additional support from

138-616: A Member of Parliament (MP) of the British Parliament for the Belfast West constituency but followed the policy of abstentionism . Adams first became involved in Irish republicanism in the late 1960s, and was an established figure in Irish activism for more than a decade before his 1983 election to Parliament. In 1984, Adams was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). From

207-665: A TD (member of Irish Parliament) for the constituency of Louth at the 2011 Irish general election . He subsequently resigned his West Belfast Assembly seat on 7 December 2010. Following the announcement of the 2011 Irish general election, Adams resigned his seat at the House of Commons . He was elected to the Dáil, topping the Louth constituency poll with 15,072 (21.7%) first preference votes. He succeeded Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin as Sinn Féin parliamentary leader in Dáil Éireann. In December 2013, Adams

276-691: A Foreign Policy Adviser to Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) in Washington D.C. During her years with Senator Kennedy, she worked directly with political leaders in Northern Ireland , the Clinton Administration , and the Irish Government, serving as a key behind-the-scenes player in the Northern Ireland peace process. She was instrumental in negotiating a visa for Gerry Adams to visit

345-606: A challenge to the Sinn Féin leadership of President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and joint vice-president Dáithí Ó Conaill. The 1975 IRA-British truce is often viewed as the event that began the challenge to the original Provisional Sinn Féin leadership, which was dominated by southerners like Ó Brádaigh and Ó Conaill. One of the reasons that the Provisional IRA and Provisional Sinn Féin were founded, in December 1969 and January 1970, respectively,

414-588: A file was sent to the Public Prosecution Service , which would decide if criminal charges should be brought. At a press conference after his release, Adams criticised the timing of his arrest, reiterated Sinn Féin's support for the PSNI and said: "The IRA is gone. It is finished." Adams denied that he had any involvement in the murder or was ever a member of the IRA, and said the allegations came from "enemies of

483-504: A highly symbolic gesture of reconciliation. The meeting, described as "historic", took place in Galway. In September 2017, Adams said he would allow his name to go forward for a one-year term as president of Sinn Féin at the November ardfheis , at which point Sinn Féin would begin a "planned process of generational change, including [Adams'] own future intentions". This resulted in speculation in

552-624: A key role in the Hume/Adams dialogue through his Special Advisor Martin Mansergh , regarded the ceasefire as permanent. However, the slow pace of developments contributed in part to the (wider) political difficulties of the British government of John Major. His consequent reliance on Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) votes in the House of Commons led to him agreeing with the UUP demand to exclude Sinn Féin from talks until

621-399: A member until 2005 according to former Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell . Rightly or wrongly, I am an IRA Volunteer and, rightly or wrongly, I take a course of action as a means to bringing about a situation in which I believe the people of my country will prosper. In 1978, Adams became joint vice-president of Sinn Féin and a key figure in directing

690-668: A part of the mass mobilisation associated with the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike by republican prisoners in the H blocks of the Maze Prison, Adams was cautious that the level of political involvement by Sinn Féin could lead to electoral embarrassment. Charles Haughey , the Taoiseach of Ireland , called an election for June 1981. At an Ard Chomhairle meeting, Adams recommended that they contest only four constituencies which were in border counties. Instead, H-Block/Armagh candidates contested nine constituencies and elected two TDs. This, along with

759-579: A personal capacity, from 1988, Vargo has advised U.S. presidential campaign teams on Irish issues, she served as the Obama campaign’s adviser on Irish issues. The Alliance supports collaborations between the US and the island of Ireland in the creative industries, including holding a variety of events such as the annual Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles. The Oscar Wilde Awards are for cinematic contributions by

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828-636: A political voice of the Provisional IRA to becoming a professionally organised political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. SDLP leader John Hume identified the possibility that a negotiated settlement might be possible and began secret talks with Adams in 1988. These discussions led to unofficial contacts with the British Northern Ireland Office under the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , Peter Brooke , and with

897-480: A press conference the following day, Adams said he thought the attacks were linked to the riots in Derry , and asked that those responsible "come and sit down" and "give us the rationale for this action". In 1971, Adams married Collette McArdle. Their son Gearoid was born in 1973, went on to play Gaelic football for Antrim GAA senior men's team and became its assistant manager in 2012. In 2013, Adams' brother Liam

966-459: A result of this non-recognition, Sinn Féin had abstained from taking any of the seats they won in the British or Irish parliaments. At its 1986 Ard Fheis, Sinn Féin delegates passed a resolution to amend the rules and constitution that would allow its members to sit in the Dublin parliament. At this, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh led a small walkout, just as he and Sean Mac Stiofain had done sixteen years earlier with

1035-563: A unionist barrister who had been first chairman of Ian Paisley 's Democratic Unionist Party . At the time, Boal was co-operating with Seán MacBride as joint mediator in confidential negotiations between the Provisional IRA and the Ulster Volunteer Force about a federal settlement for Ireland. A short time later, Wilson drove Adams to a meeting with John McKeague , founding member of the Red Hand Commando , then flirting with

1104-523: Is a non-partisan and non-profit organization focused on strengthening the ties between the United States , Ireland , and Northern Ireland . The Alliance was founded by Trina Vargo in 1998. According to her, the future of the relationship between the United States and Ireland is tenuous. The original purpose of creating this organization was to take advantage of this dynamic period. Trina Y. Vargo

1173-508: Is the founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance, she created the organization in 1998. In that capacity, she created the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program which is recognized as one of the most prestigious scholarships for study abroad for future American leaders. She also created the annual Oscar Wilde Awards that honors the Irish in the film and entertainment industries. From 1987 through April 1998, Vargo served as

1242-515: The British House of Commons since Phil Clarke and Tom Mitchell in the mid-1950s. Following his election as MP for Belfast West, the British government lifted a ban on his travelling to Great Britain. In line with Sinn Féin policy, he refused to take his seat in the House of Commons. On 14 March 1984 in central Belfast, Adams was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt when Ulster Defence Association (UDA) gunmen fired about 20 shots into

1311-564: The California Assembly ; author Winnie M Li , wizarding gastro-pub entrepreneur Matt Cortland; author Deirdre Mask; Laela Sturdy, Managing Partner at CapitalG ; entrepreneur Sasha Seymore; Alec Schierenbeck, former Supreme Court Clerk and General Counsel for New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Housing; Monica Bell, Professor of Law at Yale Law School; Robert Mulcare, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital ; and Tommy Vitolo , Representative of

1380-655: The Northern Ireland Executive , for tactical reasons the party, like the SDLP and the DUP, chose not to include its leader among its ministers. When later the SDLP chose a new leader, it selected one of its ministers, Mark Durkan , who then opted to remain in the committee. Adams was re-elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 March 2007, and on 26 March 2007, he met with DUP leader Ian Paisley face-to-face for

1449-625: The Northern Ireland Government , Becton Dickinson , and Cross Atlantic Capital Partners . In 2010, the Irish Parliament passed legislation to match any contributions, up to 20 million euros, to an endowment for the Scholarship program. A Mitchell Scholarship award includes tuition, housing, airfare, and a cash stipend. The Mitchell Scholars Program, named in honor of former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell 's pivotal contribution to

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1518-586: The Police Service of Northern Ireland for questioning in connection with the 1972 abduction and murder of Jean McConville . He was released without charge and a file was sent to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland , which later stated there was insufficient evidence to charge him. Adams announced in November 2017 that he would step down as leader of Sinn Féin in 2018, and that he would not stand for re-election to his seat in Dáil Éireann in 2020. He

1587-582: The American public and encouraging future American leaders to learn about Ireland and Northern, the US-Ireland Alliance created the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program. According to the official website of George Mitchell Scholars, 12 recipients are annually selected for one year of postgraduate study at institutions of higher education in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. The main criteria for selection are scholarship, leadership and service. Vargo has written about

1656-499: The Assembly and it was a failure. The 1982 election was followed by the 1983 Westminster election , in which Sinn Féin's vote increased and Adams was elected, as an abstentionist, as MP for Belfast West. It was in 1983 that Ruairí Ó Brádaigh resigned as President of Sinn Féin and was succeeded by Adams. In 1983, Adams was elected president of Sinn Féin and became the first Sinn Féin MP elected to

1725-580: The British and Irish governments, the UUP, the SDLP, Sinn Féin, and representatives of loyalist paramilitary organisations, under the chairmanship of former United States Senator George Mitchell , produce the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Under the Agreement, structures were created reflecting the Irish and British identities of the people of Ireland, creating a British-Irish Council and a Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly . Articles 2 and 3 of

1794-533: The Constitution of Ireland of the Republic's constitution , which claimed sovereignty over all of Ireland, were reworded, and a power-sharing Executive Committee was provided for. As part of their deal, Sinn Féin agreed to abandon its abstentionist policy regarding a "six-county parliament", as a result taking seats in the new Stormont -based Assembly and running the education and health and social services ministries in

1863-407: The IRA had decommissioned its weapons . Sinn Féin's exclusion led the IRA to end its ceasefire and resume its campaign. After the 1997 United Kingdom general election, the new Labour government had a majority in the House of Commons and was not reliant on unionist votes. The subsequent dropping of the insistence led to another IRA ceasefire, as part of the negotiations strategy, which saw teams from

1932-437: The IRA leadership since the 1970s. Furthermore, several former IRA members, including Brendan Hughes , Ivor Bell , and Seán Mac Stíofáin , have said Adams was also a member of the organisation. Moloney and Taylor state that Adams became the IRA's Chief of Staff following the arrest of Seamus Twomey in early December 1977, remaining in the position until 18 February 1978 when he, along with twenty other republican suspects,

2001-446: The Irish and British media that Adams was preparing to stand down as party leader, and that he might run for President of Ireland in the next election . At the ardfheis on 18 November, Adams was re-elected for another year as party president, but announced that he would step down at some point in 2018, and would not seek re-election as TD for Louth. Adams' presidency of Sinn Féin ended on 10 February 2018, with his stepping down and

2070-717: The Irish, British, and Irish-Americans in the entertainment industry. These honors have been awarded by the US-Ireland Alliance since 2006. The event is held on the Thursday before the Academy Awards and has a variety of celebrities in attendance. The event has been held at director  J. J. Abrams ’  Bad Robot  production company in Santa Monica since 2012. The Oscar Wilde Awards led to Abrams filming of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Ireland. As part of its mission of educating

2139-610: The Massachusetts State Legislature. Mitchell Scholars are placed at universities in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland , including Trinity College, Dublin , University College Cork , Technological University Dublin , University of Limerick , University of Galway , Maynooth University , University College Dublin , Dublin City University , Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast . US-Ireland Alliance US-Ireland Alliance

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2208-579: The Northern Ireland peace process, is designed to introduce and connect future American leaders to the island of Ireland, and to recognize and foster intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to public service. Alumni of the Mitchell Scholarship program have pursued careers in a variety of fields including medicine, law, academia, politics, journalism, the armed services, and the arts. Notable alumni include Rebecca Aslakson, Chair of Anesthesiology University of Vermont; Matt Haney , member of

2277-616: The RUC, and British troops were called in at the request of the Government of Northern Ireland . Adams was active in rioting at this time and later became involved in the republican movement . In August 1971, internment was reintroduced to Northern Ireland under the Special Powers Act 1922 . Adams was captured by British soldiers in March 1972 and in a Belfast Telegraph report on Adams' capture he

2346-590: The UDA; Adams and his co-passengers had survived in part because RUC officers, acting on the informants' information, had replaced much of the ammunition in the UDA's Rathcoole weapons dump with low-velocity bullets. Some, including Adams himself, still have unanswered questions about the RUC's actions prior to the shooting. An Ulster Defence Regiment NCO subsequently received the Queen's Gallantry Medal for chasing and arresting an assailant. Many republicans had long claimed that

2415-665: The United States in 1994. That visit led to the historic IRA cease-fire declaration in August 1994. In 1993, Vargo assisted Ambassador Madeleine Albright in preparation for her Senate confirmation hearings for the Cabinet post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations . She also helped prepare Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith , the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland , for her June 1993 confirmation Senate hearing. She briefed several subsequent US Ambassadors to Ireland, Democrats and Republicans. In

2484-569: The address of Jimmy Drumm at the annual Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown . The address was viewed as watershed in that Drumm acknowledged that the war would be a long one and that success depended on political activity that would complement the IRA's armed campaign. For some, this wedding of politics and armed struggle culminated in Danny Morrison's statement at the 1981 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in which he asked " Who here really believes we can win

2553-648: The banned person speaking. Actors who voiced Adams included Stephen Rea and Paul Loughran . This loophole could not be used in the Republic, as word-for-word broadcasts were not allowed. Instead, the banned speaker's words were summarised by the newsreader, over video of them speaking. These bans were lampooned in cartoons and satirical TV shows, such as Spitting Image , and in The Day Today , and were criticised by freedom of speech organisations and media personalities, including BBC Director General John Birt and BBC foreign editor John Simpson . The Republic's ban

2622-479: The car in which he was travelling. He was hit in the neck, shoulder and arm. He was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital , where he underwent surgery to remove three bullets. John Gregg and his team were apprehended almost immediately by a British Army patrol that opened fire on them before ramming their car. The attack had been known in advance by security forces due to a tip-off from informants within

2691-425: The challenges of creating a major scholarship without the funding of a founding donor. Gerry Adams Gerard Adams ( Irish : Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh ; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011–2020. From 1983–1992 and from 1997–2011, he won election as

2760-505: The creation of Provisional Sinn Féin. This minority, which rejected dropping the policy of abstentionism , now distinguishes itself from Sinn Féin by using the name Republican Sinn Féin , and maintains that they are the true Sinn Féin. Adams' leadership of Sinn Féin was supported by a Northern-based cadre that included people like Danny Morrison and Martin McGuinness. Over time, Adams and others pointed to republican electoral successes in

2829-521: The early and mid-1980s, when hunger strikers Bobby Sands and Kieran Doherty were elected to the British House of Commons and Dáil Éireann respectively, and they advocated that Sinn Féin become increasingly political and base its influence on electoral politics rather than paramilitarism. The electoral effects of this strategy were shown later by the election of Adams and McGuinness to the House of Commons. Adams's prominence as an Irish republican leader

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2898-494: The election of Mary Lou McDonald as the party's new president. On 13 July 2018, a home-made bomb was thrown at Adams' home in West Belfast, damaging a car parked in his driveway. Adams escaped injury and claimed that his two grandchildren were standing in the driveway only ten minutes before the blast. Another bomb was set off that same evening at the nearby home of former IRA volunteer and Sinn Féin official Bobby Storey . In

2967-431: The election of Sands, was a precursor to an electoral breakthrough in elections in 1982 to the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly . Adams, Danny Morrison, Martin McGuinness, Jim McAllister and Owen Carron were elected as abstentionists. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) had announced before the election that it would not take any seats and so its 14 elected representatives also abstained from participating in

3036-522: The event was never made. While the ban covered 11 Irish political parties and paramilitary organisations, in practice it mostly affected Sinn Féin, the most prominent of these bodies. A similar ban, known as Section 31 , had been law in the Republic of Ireland since the 1970s. However, media outlets soon found ways around the bans. In the UK, this was initially by the use of subtitles, but later and more often by an actor reading words accompanied by video footage of

3105-504: The first time. These talks led to the St Andrews Agreement , which brought about the return of the power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland. In January 2009, Adams attended the United States presidential inauguration of Barack Obama as a guest of US Congressman Richard Neal . On 6 May 2010, Adams was re-elected as MP for West Belfast, garnering 71.1% of the vote. In 2010, Adams announced that he would be seeking election as

3174-592: The government of the Republic under Charles Haughey – although both governments maintained in public that they would not negotiate with terrorists. These talks provided the groundwork for what was later to be the Belfast Agreement , preceded by the milestone Downing Street Declaration and the Joint Framework Document . These negotiations led to the IRA ceasefire in August 1994. Taoiseach Albert Reynolds , who had replaced Haughey and who had played

3243-553: The governments in Belfast and Dublin . In J. Bowyer Bell 's book The Secret Army , Bell states that Dominic was a senior figure in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) of the mid-1940s. Gerry Adams Sr. joined the IRA at age 16. In 1942, he participated in an IRA ambush on a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) patrol but was shot, arrested and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. Adams's maternal great-grandfather, Michael Hannaway,

3312-661: The idea of an independent Ulster. Inasmuch as they were "frank" , Adams found the meetings "constructive", but could find no common political ground. Wilson was of the view that Adams was "one of the very few people who could actually bring a military campaign into a political campaign". Adams has stated repeatedly that he has never been a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). However, journalists such as Ed Moloney , Peter Taylor , and Mark Urban , and historians, such as Richard English and John Bowyer Bell , have all named Adams as part of

3381-558: The late 1960s, a civil rights campaign developed in Northern Ireland . After being radicalised by the Divis Street riots during the 1964 United Kingdom general election campaign, Adams joined Sinn Féin and Fianna Éireann . Adams was an active supporter and joined the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in 1967. The civil rights movement was met with violence from loyalist counter-demonstrations and

3450-539: The late 1980s onwards, he was an important figure in the Northern Ireland peace process , entering into talks initially with Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader John Hume and then subsequently with the Irish and British governments. In 1986, he convinced Sinn Féin to change its traditional policy of abstentionism towards the Oireachtas , the parliament of the Republic of Ireland . In 1998, it also took seats in

3519-518: The law in pursuit of legitimate political objectives. ... Sinn Féin is accused of recognising the Army Council of the IRA as the legitimate government of this island. That is not the case. [We] do not believe that the Army Council is the government of Ireland. Such a government will only exist when all the people of this island elect it. Does Sinn Féin accept the institutions of this state as the legitimate institutions of this state? Of course we do." As

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3588-773: The only legitimate Irish state was the Irish Republic declared in the 1916 Proclamation of the Republic . In their view, the legitimate government was the IRA Army Council, which had been vested with the authority of that Republic in 1938 (prior to the Second World War ) by the last remaining anti- Treaty deputies of the Second Dáil . In his 2005 speech to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in Dublin, Adams explicitly rejected this view. "But we refuse to criminalise those who break

3657-504: The organisations split. Adams, who had joined the republican movement in the early 1960s, sided with the Provisionals. In the Maze prison in the mid-1970s, writing under the pseudonym "Brownie" in Republican News , Adams called for increased political activity among republicans, especially at local level. The call resonated with younger Northern people, many of whom had been active in the Provisional IRA but few of whom had been active in Sinn Féin. In 1977, Adams and Danny Morrison drafted

3726-413: The peace process". On 29 September 2015 the Public Prosecution Service announced Adams would not face charges, due to insufficient evidence, as had been expected ever since a BBC report dated 6 May 2014 (2 days after the BBC reported his release), which was widely repeated elsewhere. On 19 May 2015, while on an official royal trip to Ireland, Prince Charles shook Adams' hand in what was described as

3795-400: The power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly . In 2005, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) stated that its armed campaign was over and that it was exclusively committed to peaceful politics. Adams has often been accused of being a member of the IRA leadership in the 1970s and 80s, though he consistently denied any involvement in the organisation. In 2014, he was held for four days by

3864-500: The power-sharing government. On 15 August 1998, four months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the Omagh bombing by the Real IRA , killed 29 people and injured 220, from many communities. Adams said in reaction to the bombing "I am totally horrified by this action. I condemn it without any equivocation whatsoever." Prior to this, Adams had not used the word "condemn" in relation to IRA or their splinter groups' actions. When Sinn Féin came to nominate its two ministers to

3933-415: The timing of the arrest, "three weeks into an election", was evidence of a "political agenda [...] a negative agenda" by the PSNI. McConville's family had campaigned for the arrest of Adams for the murder. McConville's son Michael said that his family did not think the arrest of Adams would ever happen, and were glad that the arrest took place. Adams was released without charge after four days in custody when

4002-467: The war through the ballot box? But will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in one hand and the Armalite in the other, we take power in Ireland ?" For others, however, the call to link political activity with armed struggle had already been defined in Sinn Féin policy and in the presidential addresses of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, but this had not resonated with young Northerners. Even after the election of Bobby Sands as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone ,

4071-474: Was a member of the Guard of Honour at Nelson Mandela 's funeral. On 30 April 2014, Adams was arrested by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Serious Crime Branch, under the Terrorism Act 2000 , in connection with the murder of Jean McConville in 1972. He had previously voluntarily arranged to be interviewed by police regarding the matter, and maintained he had no involvement. Fellow Sinn Féin politician Alex Maskey stated that

4140-422: Was allowed to lapse in January 1994, and the British ban was lifted by Prime Minister John Major in September 1994. Sinn Féin continued its policy of refusing to sit in the Westminster Parliament after Adams won the Belfast West constituency. He lost his seat to Joe Hendron of the SDLP in the 1992 general election , regaining it at the following 1997 election . Under Adams, Sinn Féin moved away from being

4209-488: Was also a member of the IRB during its bombing campaign in England in the 1860s and 1870s . Michael's son, Billy, was election agent for Éamon de Valera at the 1918 Irish general election in West Belfast . Adams attended St Finian's Primary School on Falls Road , where he was taught by La Salle brothers . Having passed the eleven-plus exam in 1960, he attended St Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School . He left St Mary's with six O-levels and worked in bars. In

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4278-497: Was also highly critical of a decision taken by McKee to assassinate members of the rival Official IRA , who had been on ceasefire since 1972. In 2020, the UK Supreme Court quashed Adams' convictions for attempting to escape on Christmas Eve in 1973 and again in July 1974. In 1977, Ballymurphy priest Des Wilson (who had officiated at Adams's wedding) assisted with an early attempt by Adams to open channels to dissident unionists . He helped set up meeting with Desmond Boal QC ,

4347-401: Was arrested following the La Mon restaurant bombing . He was charged with IRA membership and remanded to Crumlin Road Gaol . He was released seven months later when the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland Robert Lowry ruled there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution. Moloney and English state Adams had been a member of the IRA Army Council since 1977, remaining

4416-536: Was found guilty of 10 offences, including rape and gross indecency committed against his own daughter. After the allegations of abuse were first made public in 2009, Gerry Adams alleged that his father had subjected family members to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Liam was jailed for 16 years, and died of pancreatic cancer in February 2019 at the age of 63 while in Maghaberry Prison . In 2016, Adams sparked controversy by posting "Watching Django Unchained —A Ballymurphy Nigger!" on social media. This

4485-428: Was increased by the 1988–1994 British broadcasting voice restrictions , which were imposed by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to "starve the terrorist and the hijacker of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend". Thatcher was moved to act after BBC interviews of Martin McGuinness and Adams had been the focus of a row over an edition of After Dark , a proposed Channel 4 discussion programme which in

4554-410: Was re-arrested in July 1973 and interned at the Maze prison . After taking part in an IRA-organised escape attempt, he was sentenced to a period of imprisonment. During this time, he wrote articles in the paper An Phoblacht under the by-line "Brownie", where he criticised the strategy and policy of Sinn Féin president Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Billy McKee , the IRA's officer commanding in Belfast. He

4623-580: Was said to be "one of the most wanted men in Belfast". Adams was interned on HMS  Maidstone , but on the Provisional IRA's insistence was released in June to take part in secret, but abortive talks in London. The IRA negotiated a short-lived truce with the British government and an IRA delegation met with British Home Secretary William Whitelaw at Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. The delegation included Adams, Martin McGuinness , Sean Mac Stiofain ( IRA Chief of Staff ), Daithi O'Conaill , Seamus Twomey , Ivor Bell and Dublin solicitor Myles Shevlin . Adams

4692-482: Was succeeded by Mary Lou McDonald at a special ardfheis (party conference) on 10 February 2018. Adams was born in the Ballymurphy district of Belfast on 6 October 1948. His parents, Anne (née Hannaway) and Gerry Adams Sr. , came from republican backgrounds. His grandfather, also named Gerry Adams, was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) during the Irish War of Independence . Two of his uncles, Dominic and Patrick Adams, had been interned by

4761-475: Was that people like Ó Brádaigh, Ó Conaill and McKee opposed participation in constitutional politics. The other reason was the failure of the Cathal Goulding leadership to provide for the defence of Irish nationalist areas during the 1969 Northern Ireland riots. When, at the December 1969 IRA convention and the January 1970 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, the delegates voted to participate in the Dublin ( Leinster House ), Belfast (Stormont) and London (Westminster) parliaments,

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