Bill Flynn, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, and the beginnings of the Northern Ireland peace process. ℘℘℘ The setting was the Elysée Palace in Paris. The event, a gathering of Nobel laureates in January 1988. The hosts, President François Mitterand, Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, and the newly established Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. The individual … [Read more...] about The Quest for Peace
Politics
The Irish Peacemaker
Niall O'Dowd writes about Bill Flynn's extraordinary role in the Irish peace process. On February 12, 1994, Bill Flynn and his trusted friend and associate Bill Barry drove to Belfast to meet with Gerry Adams. (Barry was Chairman of Barry Security Services after leaving an exciting career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.) It was directly in the wake of the granting … [Read more...] about The Irish Peacemaker
An Architect of Peace
Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, reflects on Bill Flynn’s contribution to peace on the occasion of the Flax Trust Dinner in New York City. ℘℘℘ Over the course of many years, many people have been given a tremendous amount of credit for being architects of the peace process and being involved in contributing to the peace process. Some of them are … [Read more...] about An Architect of Peace
The Courage to Try
Whenever I think of Bill Flynn, I think of the quote that is attributed to John F. Kennedy: “One person can make a difference and each person should try.” Bill Flynn did make a difference, and how he tried. He was fearless in his attention to Northern Ireland and his belief that with Irish American help the “Troubles” could be brought to an end. Looking back now I’m just as … [Read more...] about The Courage to Try
The First Family of Irish America
Back in July, Bronx Irish Catholic Edwin F. O’Brien, after a 40-year career as a priest, military chaplain and aide to two cardinals, was named the new Archbishop of Baltimore. The archdiocese O’Brien will lead numbers more than a half-million Catholics, with 200 priests, five Catholic hospitals, two seminaries and 151 parishes, including two cathedrals, The Baltimore Sun … [Read more...] about The First Family of Irish America