John Hume - civil rights activist, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and leading politician in Northern Ireland during the long period of the Troubles - gained worldwide recognition and respect for his principled opposition to the use of violence as a means of resolving the deep divisions between the people of Northern Ireland, between those who favor Irish unity and those who favor maintaining the union with Britain. His constant message was the need to heal sundered relationships between the people of Ireland, north and south, and between the people of Ireland and Britain. This book of essays assesses John Hume's role throughout the Troubles as he campaigned in Ireland, Europe, and the US to influence politicians and opinion makers in the cause of justice and peace. These essays discuss: the political background to his entry into public life in 1960s Derry as a champion of the credit union movement * the civil rights campaign * the Sunningdale Agreement * the failed efforts to establish a power-sharing executive * the trauma of terrorism * the hunger strikes * his role in Europe and the US * the Anglo-Irish Agreement * the Hume-Adams dialogue * the Good Friday Agreement. [Subject: Irish Studies, Politics, History]
"John Hume is regarded as the key architect of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. This book collects extracts from Hume's speeches, articles and interviews, and adds a contextual narrative. The selected texts chronicle his entire career, covering his entry into public life in the early 1960s through the credit union, the Derry Housing Association and the civil rights movement, his first election to the Northern Ireland Parliament, the foundation of the SDLP, his influence over successive Irish governments, and the various initiatives aimed at ending the violence and achieving an acceptable agreement. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Hume's political thoughts, his comments on critical events and developments, and his proposals for resolving the Northern Irish conflict. Hume's commitment to human rights, and his implacable opposition to violence as a means of addressing conflict emerge from the texts, as does his transformative influence on the development of Irish and British attitudes and policies, as governments grappled with the problems arising from the troubled relationships within and between the two islands"--Publisher's website.
In Albert Reynolds: Risktaker for Peace, Conor Lenihan takes the reader on a journey through the former Taoiseach’s fascinating life. From his early days in Roscommon, Reynolds’ determination and hard work saw him rise from a humble clerical job with Irish Rail to become one of Ireland’s best-known showbiz promoters. But it is as creator of the template for peace on the island of Ireland that he, deservedly, will be best remembered. Reynolds’ extraordinary progress from the cut-throat world of business to local politics, and, ultimately, government ministries, was driven by the entrepreneurial spirit and impatience that became the hallmark of his success and his failure. Appointed as Taoiseach in 1992, by 1994 he had been drummed out of office, yet in that brief period he confounded his critics by fast-tracking an end to the violence of the Troubles, with the IRA and Loyalist ceasefires. In the first complete biography of Reynolds, former Minister of State Conor Lenihan delivers an insider’s account that reveals the courageous personal risks Reynolds took to create the template for peace in Ireland, and the highs and lows of a tempestuous, risk taking life.
The leading nationalist party in Northern Ireland throughout the 'Troubles,' the SDLP, under the inspirational leadership of John Hume, sustained constitutional and democratic politics during that period and in no uncertain way shaped the Good Friday Agreement. Born out of the cauldron of the 1960s' civil rights movement, for much of the 'Troubles,' the SDLP had to contend with unionist intransigence, British obduracy, and, above all, Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitary violence which threatened all-out civil war. In response, the party maintained a firm commitment to non-violence and to an inclusive democratic dialogue at the center of which would be the principle of consent to constitutional change, as the only viable means of reaching an agreement. This book charts the story of this commitment and the party's role in achieving that dialogue in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 through to the early years of the Agreement's implementation.
A memoir of a respected constitutional scholar, dedicated public servant, political reformer, and facilitator of peace in the land of his ancestors. John D. Feerick’s life has all the elements of a modern Horatio Alger story: the poor boy who achieves success by dint of his hard work. But Feerick brought other elements to that classic American success story: his deep religious faith, his integrity, and his paramount concern for social justice. In That Further Shore, Feerick shares his inspiring story. Born to immigrant parents in the South Bronx, he went on to practice law, help frame the US Constitution’s Twenty-Fifth Amendment, serve as dean of Fordham Law, and serve as president of the New York City Bar Association and chair of state commissions on government integrity. Beginning with Feerick’s ancestry and early life experiences, including a detailed genealogical description of Feerick’s Irish ancestors in County Mayo and his quest to identify them and their relationships with one another, the book then presents a survey of the now-vanished world of a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood in the South Bronx. Feerick’s account of how he financed his education from elementary school through law school is a moving tribute to the immigrant work ethic that he inherited from his parents and shared with many young Americans of his generation. The book then traces Feerick’s career as a lawyer and how he gave up a lucrative partnership in a prestigious New York City law firm at an early age to accept the office of Dean of the Fordham School of Law at a fraction of his previous income because he felt it was time to give back something to the world. John Feerick has consistently shown his commitment to the law as a vocation as well as a profession by his efforts to protect the rights of the poor, to enable minorities to achieve their rightful places in American society, and to combat political corruption. That Further Shore is an inspiring memoir of how one man helped to make America a more just and equitable society. Praise for That Further Shore “An exceptionally well written book and a compelling story of one Irish-American lawyer who loves his Irish heritage, his family, his Church and the law. It took Feerick 18 years to write the book and it was certainly worth the effort.” —Steve Fearon, Irish America “That Further Shore proves that a great man can be a good man. While living a life of the highest achievement on the world stage?and even changing history a time or two?Dean John Feerick stays rooted in his family, faith, Irish heritage and his commitment to social justice. Inspiring!” —Mary Pat Kelly, PhD, author of Galway Bay, Of Irish Blood, and Irish Above All
The book, available at last in paperback, explores the politics of the most important Irish nationalist leader of his generation, and one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century Ireland: the Nobel Peace Prize winner, John Hume. Given his central role in the reformulation of Irish nationalist ideology, and the vital part which he played in drawing violent republicanism into democratic politics, the book shows Hume to be one of the chief architects of the Northern Ireland peace process, and a key figure in the making of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. At the same time, it considers Hume’s failure in what he stated to be his foremost political objective: the conciliation of the two communities in Northern Ireland. The book is essential reading for specialists on Irish history and politics, but will also be of interest to academics and practitioners working in other regions of political and ethnic conflict. In addition, it will appeal to readers seeking to understand the crucial role played by Hume in modernising Irish nationalist thinking, and bringing peace to Northern Ireland.
Politician, peacemaker, persuader: John Hume was a titan of Irish history – a tireless architect of the Good Friday Agreement who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. But who was the real John Hume? What motivated the former history teacher to reach beyond political lines? What sustained him during the bloodiest years of violence? How did he impel the IRA to end its long-running campaign? How did he convince presidents and prime ministers to take risks and back his vision for Northern Ireland? How should he be remembered? In John Hume: The Persuader, Stephen Walker draws on over 100 interviews with family members, colleagues and critics across the political spectrum, as well as never-before-published interviews with Hume himself, to present a probing, balanced and immensely readable portrait of one of the most significant political figures in Northern Ireland and the world. 'The definitive biography of John Hume.' Freya McClements, Northern Editor, Irish Times 'This superb biography does full justice to a towering figure.' David McCullagh, RTÉ Broadcaster and Author 'A riveting portrait of a man who changed Ireland.' Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics (DCU) and Author 'Scrupulously fair, deeply researched and insightful.' Sam McBride, Northern Ireland Editor, Belfast Telegraph
