Author Description

The Clinton administration's controversial decision to grant Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams a visa to enter the U.S. and Adams's subsequent fundraising activities here have received wide media coverage. That the U.S. is playing a part in events concerning Northern Ireland should surprise no one. Americans of Irish descent have long used their economic and political power to influence events in Northern Ireland; this influence continues today as the two sides negotiate peace. Here Andrew J. Wilson tells the complex, fascinating story of Irish America's longtime role in the Ulster crisis. Having set the stage with a summary of Irish-American involvement in Irish politics from 1800 to 1968, he discusses the growth and development of both militant and constitutional nationalist groups in the U.S. and their impact on events in Northern Ireland and on British policies there. Wilson gives a comprehensive account of how militant Irish-American groups have supported the IRA through gunrunning, financial disbursements, and aid to members on the run, and he analyzes tactics used by the various groups for winning publicity and public sympathy for their cause. In his examination of Irish-American support for constitutional nationalism, Wilson focuses on the influence of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress and its attempts to shape British policy in Ulster. He also shows how the lobbying of prominent Irish-American politicians Edward M. Kennedy, Daniel P. Moynihan, Thomas P. O'Neill, and Hugh Carey influenced U.S. government policies and provided the Dublin government with leverage to use in diplomatic relations with the British.