St. John's News

Perhaps there is something that looms larger than an Irishman during the week of St. Patrick’s Day.

Northern Ireland political activist and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams hinted as much when he told the St. John’s University community that peace in Northern Ireland “was bigger than the Irish.”

“It’s part of our human condition,” said Adams, who began a week-long tour of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States with a stop at St. John’s. “The big thing is to know you don’t have to accept the situation as it is -- you can change it.”

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The University welcomed Adams to its Queens campus, where he addressed "The Irish Peace Process -- An International Model for Conflict Resolution,” before more than 300 students, faculty, administrators and guests of the university community in Marillac Auditorium.

Adams said no conflict is the same, but admitted that he had been moved by the experiences of former South African leader Nelson Mandela.

“Conflicts have a cause and mostly it arises from injustice -- people being treated unjustly or people feeling they are being treated unjustly,” he said. “We want to do things in a dignified way, to do things in a spiritual condition. To seek peace, you have to see your opponents as human beings.”

Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John's University, reflected on the remarks of the Northern Ireland nationalist at the end of his address.

“We deeply appreciate Mr. Adams great commitment to peace in Ireland and one part of his speech was particularly striking to me. He related that peace requires the presence of justice and justice requires inclusivity,” said Harrington. “What a great lesson, not just for every city, every nation or every state but for every community no matter how small that community is. That clearly applies to us as a university community.”

Adams said the most important elements in any peace process were dialogue, inclusiveness, and patience. He said early movements toward peace in Northern Ireland were marginalized and lacked input from all sides.

“There should be no predetermined outcomes; everybody has a right to put their agenda points forward,” said Adam, further proving his point by joking to the assembled crowd. “You can’t say we’ll talk to that group as long as Father Harrington isn’t in it.”

Adams believes there is much work left to complete in Northern Ireland, but that many steps had been taken on the long, arduous road toward peace in his native land.

“Change can be daunting,” he said. “But, I believe we are going to get there.”

Adams’ stop at St. John's -- the only university on his four-city schedule – began earlier in the day with an informal press conference attended by local and international media.

His trip will move onto Washington, D.C. (where he will visit the White House), Buffalo, N.Y. and end with a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Holyoke, Mass. Adams’ travels bring him to the United States each year to coincide with St. Patrick's Day and to speak on behalf of political issues that affect his homeland.

Denis P. Kelleher, chairman of the St. John’s Board of Trustees, helped to secure Adams’ appearance at St. John’s.

Sinn Fein is the largest group in the Republican wing of Irish nationalism. For the past 22 years, Adams has been president of Sinn Fein; the third-largest party in Ireland by vote share, although the entire island only votes together at European elections. It has recently displaced the previously dominant nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party in national elections. Sinn Fein is the only political party to have seats in the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.