Gerry Adams MP MLA
President of Sinn Féin
Incumbent
Assumed office  1983
Preceded by	Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Member of Parliament for Belfast West
Incumbent
Assumed office  1 May 1997
Preceded by	Joe Hendron
In office 9 June 1983 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Gerry Fitt
Succeeded by	Joe Hendron
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast West
Incumbent
Assumed office  25 June 1998
Born	October 6, 1948 (1948-10-06) (age 59) Belfast
Political party	Sinn Féin
Spouse	Collette McArdle
Website	Sinn Féin - Gerry Adams

Gerard Adams MP (Irish: Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh^[1]; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is President of Sinn Féin, which became the largest nationalist, republican or pro-Belfast Agreement political party in Northern Ireland in the 2005 UK general election. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 751 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sinn Féin Gerry Adams Metadata... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (born 1932) is an Irish republican. ... Creation 1922 MP Gerry Adams Party Sinn Féin Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Lisburn EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Joe Hendron is a Northern Ireland politician, who has been a member of both the British House of Commons and the Irish Senate. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Gerrard Gerry Fitt, Baron Fitt (9 April 1926 – 26 August 2005) was a Northern Irish politician. ... Joe Hendron is a Northern Ireland politician, who has been a member of both the British House of Commons and the Irish Senate. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ... Belfast West is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the city in Northern Ireland. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... Following is a (currently incomplete) list of past and present Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom in alphabetical order. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic, whether as a unitary state, a federal state or as a confederal arrangement. ... Abstentionism is the policy of seeking election to a body while refusing to take up the seats or even sitting in an alternative assembly. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Creation 1922 MP Gerry Adams Party Sinn Féin Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Lisburn EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... It has been suggested that Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom be merged into this article or section. ...

Adams is a spokesman for the Irish Republican Movement which encompasses Sinn Féin and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA)^[2][3], a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Adams is widely regarded as having played a pivotal role in getting the IRA to give up its armed campaign against the UK in return for devolved government for Northern Ireland. For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA.[2]) is an Irish Republican, left wing[3] paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern... Proscription (Latin: proscriptio) is the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. ... Look up Devolution in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

From the late 1980s, Adams was an important figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, initially following contact by the then Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader John Hume and subsequently with the Irish and British governments and then other parties. In 2005, the IRA indicated that its campaign was over and, barring hard line elements, the Irish Republican Movement is now exclusively committed to democratic politics. Under Adams, Sinn Féin changed its traditional policy of abstentionism towards Leinster House in 1986 and later to take seats in the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly, although the party retains a policy of abstentionism towards Westminster. When discussing the history of Northern Ireland, the peace process is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of The Troubles, the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement, and subsequent political developments. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... John Hume. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... The DHondt method (equivalent to Jeffersons method, and Budder-Ofer method) is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ...

Background

Gerry Adams was born in West Belfast into a nationalist Catholic family, consisting of 10 children who survived infancy, 5 boys, 5 girls and their parents, Gerry Adams Sr. and Annie Hannaway. This article is about the city in Northern Ireland. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Gerry Adams Sr. ...

Gerry Sr. and Annie came from strong republican backgrounds. Adams's grandfather, also Gerry Adams, had been a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) during the Irish War of Independence. Two of Adams's uncles, Dominic and Patrick Adams, had been interned by the governments in Belfast and Dublin. Although it is reported that his uncle Dominic was a one-time IRA chief of staff, J. Bowyer Bell, in his widely respected book, The Secret Army: The IRA 1916 (Irish Academy Press), states that Dominic Adams was a senior figure in the IRA of the mid-1940s. Gerry Sr. joined the IRA aged sixteen; in 1942 he participated in an IRA ambush on a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) patrol but was himself shot, arrested and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; Bráithreachas na Poblachta in Irish) was a secret fraternal organisation dedicated to fomenting armed revolt against the British state in Ireland in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... The following is the list of those who have served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army in the various incarnations of organisations bearing that name. ... The original Irish Republican Army fought a guerrilla war against British rule in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ...

Adams's maternal great-grandfather, Michael Hannaway, was a member of the Fenians during their dynamiting campaign in England in the 1860s and 1870s. Michael's son, Billy, was election agent for Eamon de Valera in 1918 in West Belfast but refused to follow de Valera into democratic and constitutional politics upon the formation of Fianna Fáil. Annie Hannaway was a member of Cumann na mBan, the women's branch of the IRA. Three of her brothers (Alfie, Liam and Tommy) were known IRA members. Fenian is a term used since the 1860s for an Irish nationalist who espouses violence, usually by people opposed to their aims. ... Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... Cumann na mBan (IPA: ; literally Womens League) was an Irish republican womens paramilitary organisation formed in April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers (IV). ...

Yet as a result of the IRA being outlawed north and south of the border, and the many difficulties faced by its members - trouble finding work, lengthy terms in jail, lack of support among the larger Irish community - hardcore republicans were isolated and shunned even with their own community: "West Belfast republicanism was dominated by three families: the Adamses, the Hannaways, and the Burnses. They were all intermarried, the consequence of the imprisonment of their male members. When figures like Gerry Adams Sr. emerged after having served their jail terms, they found girls of a marriageable age either already spoken for or reluctant to marry into the IRA. Inevitably they drifted into relationships with the sisters of their IRA comrades.... The IRA in places like West Belfast... grew heavily dependent on a small, often interrelated network of extended families... the result was that republican involvement tended to be an inherited rather than acquired activity...[Adams's parents] would pass on to their children their political views as well as a special, exclusive sense of shared suffering".

Adams attended St Finian's Primary School on the Falls Road where he was taught by De La Salle brothers. He then attended St Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School after passing the eleven-plus exam in 1960. He left St. Mary's with six O-levels, and became a bartender, but became increasingly involved in the Irish republican movement, joining Sinn Féin and Fianna Éireann in 1964, after being radicalised by the Divis Street riots during the general election campaign.^[4] St. ... Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, founder of the De La Salle Brothers // Lasallian educational institutions are educational institutions affiliated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers or the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious teaching... Catholic religious orders (Religious Institutes, cf. ... St. ... The Eleven Plus is an examination which was given to students in their last year of primary education in the United Kingdom under the Tripartite System. ... The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification, often divided into two levels: Ordinary level (O-level) and Advanced level (A-Level), although other categories exist. ... Pub redirects here. ... A recruitment poster for the now-defunct Fianna Éireann group associated with Provisional Sinn Féin. ...

When Third Way Magazine asked Adams whether he was a Christian he said: 'I like the sense of there being a God, and I do take succour now from the collective comfort of being at a Mass or another religious event where you can be anonymous and individual – just a sense of community at prayer and of paying attention to that spiritual dimension which is in all of us; and I also take some succour in a private, solitary way from being able to reflect on those things.'^[5] There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Early republican career

In the late 1960s, a civil rights campaign developed in Northern Ireland. Adams was an active supporter and joined the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in 1967^[4]. Instead of leading to change, the civil rights movement was met with protests from Loyalist counter-demonstrators. This culminated in August 1969, when Northern Ireland cities like Belfast and Derry erupted in major rioting and British troops were called in at the request of the Government of Northern Ireland (see 1969 Northern Ireland Riots). Against this backdrop, the IRA and its political counterpart in Sinn Féin, emerged. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The Civil Rights Mural - The Beginning.[1] The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was an organisation which campaigned for civil rights in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... From 13-17 August 1969, Northern Ireland was rocked by intensive sectarian rioting. ...

Adams was active in Sinn Féin at this time. Following a split in the republican movement in 1970 Adams aligned himself with the militant Provisional wing.^[4] In August 1971, internment without trial was introduced in Northern Ireland under the Special Powers Act. Adams was interned in March 1972, on HMS Maidstone, but was dramatically released in June to take part in secret, but abortive talks in London.^[4] The IRA negotiated a short-lived truce with the British and an IRA delegation met with William Whitelaw. The delegation included Sean Mac Stiofain (Chief of Staff), Daithi O'Conaill, Seamus Twomey, Ivor Bell, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams. The IRA insisted Adams be included in the meeting and he was released from internment to participate. Following the failure of the talks he played a central role in planning the bomb blitz on Belfast known as Bloody Friday.^[4] He was re-arrested in July 1973 and interned at Long Kesh (Maze) internment camp. After taking part in an IRA-organised escape attempt he was sentenced to a period of imprisonment, which was also served at the Maze. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the usage and history of the terms concentration camp, internment camp and internment. ... The Special Powers act enabled the Protestants of Ireland to lock up the Catholics without trial. ... For other ships of the same name, see HMS Maidstone. ... William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (June 28, 1918 - July 1, 1999), commonly known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative politician. ... Seán Mac Stíofáin (17 February 1928- 18 May 2001) was an Irish republican and first chief of staff of the Provisional IRA. Sean MacStiofain // Although he used the Gaelicised version of his name in later life, Mac Stíofáin was born an only child as John... Dáithí Ó Conaill (1938 – 1 January 1991) was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council, vice-president of Provisional Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. ... Seamus Twomey (1919 – 12 September 1989) was an Irish republican and twice chief of staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. ... Ivor Bell was a Protestant member (volunteer) in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who later became Chief of Staff on the Army Council. ... James Martin Pacelli McGuinness MP MLA (Irish: Máirtín Mag Aonghusa,[1] born in Derry 23 May 1950) is the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... The Belfast Bomb Blitz and Bloody Friday are among the names given to the bombings by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 21, 1972. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... The personnel gate to the main guard office. ...

During the Hunger Strikes of 1981, Adams played an important policy-making role, which saw the emergence of his party as a political force. In 1983 he was elected president of Sinn Féin^[4] and became the first Sinn Féin MP elected to the British House of Commons since the 1950s. Following his election as MP for Belfast West the British government lifted a ban on him travelling to Britain. In line with Sinn Féin policy, he refused to sit in the House of Commons. A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... the first thing that was invented was the automatic DILDO. Education grew explosively because of a very strong demand for high school and college education. ... Creation 1922 MP Gerry Adams Party Sinn Féin Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Lisburn EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

On 14 March 1984, Adams was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt when several Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) gunmen fired about twenty shots into the car in which he was travelling. After the shooting, under-cover plain clothes police officers seized three suspects who were later convicted and sentenced.^[6] One of the three was John Gregg. Adams claimed that the British army had prior knowledge of the attack and allowed it to go ahead.^[7] is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary organisation outlawed as a terrorist group in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which is perceived by its supporters as defending the unionist community from Irish nationalism. ... John Gregg (1957? - February 1, 2003) (nicknamed Grug) was a senior member of the UDA/UFF Loyalist organization in Northern Ireland. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Alleged IRA membership

Adams has stated repeatedly that he has never been a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).^[8] However, noted scholars such as Ed Moloney, Richard English, Peter Taylor and Mark Urban have all named Adams to be part of the IRA leadership during the 1970s.^{[9][10][11][12]} It should be noted, however, that Adams has fervently denied Moloney's claims, calling them "libellous." ^[13] The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA.[2]) is an Irish Republican, left wing[3] paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern... Edward Ed Moloney is an Irish journalist and author. ... Richard English is a historian from Northern Ireland. ... Peter Taylor is a British journalist and documentary maker who has covered the Troubles in Northern Ireland for many years. ...

President of Sinn Féin

In 1978, Gerry Adams became joint-vice-president of Sinn Féin and he became a key figure in directing a challenge to the Sinn Féin leadership of President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and joint-Vice President Dáithí Ó Conaill. Others who supported Adams and were from Belfast included Jim Gibney, Tom Hartley, and Danny Morrison. Some characterize the different approaches as a conflict between a more pragmatic northern leadership which surrounded Adams and the more traditional nationalist leadership of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, who was President of Provisional Sinn Féin from its inception until 1983. This view misses the complexity of the situation. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (born 1932) is an Irish republican. ... Dáithí Ó Conaill (1938 – 1 January 1991) was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council, vice-president of Provisional Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. ... Daniel Gerard Morrison (Irish: Domhnall Gearóid Ó Muirgheasáin) born 1953 in Belfast, Northern Ireland), known generally as Danny Morrison is an Irish republican activist and writer. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ...

The 1975 IRA-British truce is often viewed as the event that began the challenge to the original Provisional Sinn Féin leadership, which was said to be Southern-based and dominated by southerners like Ó Brádaigh and Ó Conaill. However, the Chief of Staff of the IRA at the time, Seamus Twomey, was a senior figure from Belfast. Others in the leadership were also Northern based, including Billy McKee from Belfast. Adams (allegedly) rose to become the most senior figure in the IRA Northern Command on the basis of his absolute rejection of anything but military action, but this conflicts with the fact that during his time in prison Adams came to reassess his approach and became more political. It is alleged that "provisional" republicanism was founded on its opposition to the communist-inspired "broad front" politics of the Cathal Goulding-led Official IRA, but this too is disputed. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seamus Twomey (1919 – 12 September 1989) was an Irish republican and twice chief of staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. ... Billy McKee is an Irish Republican and was an original founding member and former leader of the Provisional Irish Republican Army[1]. // McKee was born in Belfast in the early 1920s. ... Northern Command is a command division in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Provisional IRA, responsible for directing IRA operations in the northern part of Ireland. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Cathal Goulding (January 1922 - December 28, 1998) was Chief of Staff of the IRA and the Official IRA. Born into a Republican family, Goulding was involved as teenager in Na Fianna (the Junior IRA) and joined the IRA at the age of 17 in 1939, the earliest age at which... The term Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA refers to one of the two organisations - the other being the Provisional Irish Republican Army - that emerged from the split in the then Irish Republican Army in 1969-70. ...

One of the core reasons that the Provisional IRA and provisional Sinn Féin were founded, in December 1969 and January 1970, respectively, was that people like Ó Brádaigh and O'Connell, and Billy McKee, opposed participation in constitutional politics, the other was the failure of the Goulding leadership to for the defence of nationalist areas. 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, the organizations split. Gerry Adams, who had joined the Republican Movement in the early 1960s, did not go with the Provisionals until later in 1970.

In Long Kesh in the mid-1970s, and writing under the pseudonym Brownie in Republican News, Adams called for increased political activity, especially at a local level, by Republicans.^[14] The call resonated with younger Northern people, many of whom had been active in the Provisional IRA but had not necessarily been highly active in Sinn Féin. In 1977, Adams and Danny Morrison drafted 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 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 been clearly defined in Sinn Féin policy and in the Presidential Addresses of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, but it had not resonated with the young Northerners (It can be argued that Sinn Féin had been trying to link political activity with military activity since at least the late 1950s). An Phoblacht/Republican News is the official newspaper of the Republican movement in Ireland. ... Daniel Gerard Morrison, known generally as Danny Morrison (born 1953 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an Irish republican activist and writer. ... Theobald Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, commonly known as Wolfe Tone (20 June 1763 - 19 November 1798) was a leading figure in the Irish independence movement. ... The Armalite AR-18. ...

Ironically, while Adams was advocating that the Movement needed more involvement in politics, he was one of the key opponents of Sinn Féin putting forward a candidate for the first election to the European Parliament, in 1979. Even after the election of Bobby Sands as MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone, a part of the mass mobilization associated with the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike by republican prisoners in the H blocks of the Maze prison (known as Long Kesh by Republicans), Adams was cautious about political involvement by Sinn Féin. Charles Haughey, the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, called an election for June 1981. At an Ard Chomhairle meeting Adams recommended that they contest only four constituencies. Instead, H-Block/Armagh Candidates contested nine constituencies and elected two TDs. This, along with the election of Bobby Sands, was precursor to the a big electoral breakthrough in elections in 1982 to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Adams, Danny Morrison, Martin McGuinness, Jim McAllister, and Owen Carron were elected as abstentionists. The SDLP had announced before the election that it would not take any seats and so its 14 elected representatives also abstained from participating in 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 Gerry Adams was elected, as an abstentionist, as MP for West Belfast. It was in 1983 that Ruairí Ó Brádaigh resigned as President of Sinn Féin and was succeeded by Gerry Adams. Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP) Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP) Gérard Onesta (Greens – EFA) Edward McMillan-Scott (ED) Mario Mauro (EPP) Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES) Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE) Mechtild... Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: [1][2]), commonly known as Bobby Sands, (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981), was a Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer and member of the UK parliament who died on hunger strike whilst in HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) for the possession of firearms. ... A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ... Her Majestys Prison (HMP) Maze (known colloqually as The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former RAF station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by many Irish Republicans) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ... Her Majestys Prison (HMP) Maze (known colloqually as The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former RAF station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by many Irish Republicans) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ... Her Majestys Prison (HMP) Maze (known colloqually as The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former RAF station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by many Irish Republicans) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Election. ... Owen Carron (born 1953) is an Irish republican activist and the former MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. ...

Republicans had long claimed that the only legitimate Irish state was the Irish Republic declared in the Proclamation of the Republic of 1916, which they considered to be still in existence. 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. Adams continued to adhere to this claim of republican political legitimacy until quite recently - however in his 2005 speech to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis he explicitly rejected it. The IRA Army Council is the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16th August, 1921 until 8th June, 1922. ... An Ard Fheis is an annual convention, usually of a political party. ...

As 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 (Leinster House/Dáil Éireann). At this Ruairí Ó Brádaigh led a small walkout, just as he had done twelve years earlier with the creation of Provisional Sinn Féin. This minority, which rejected dropping the policy of abstentionism, now nominally distinguishes itself from Provisional Sinn Féin by using the name Republican Sinn Féin (or Sinn Féin Poblachtach), and maintains that they are the true Sinn Féin republicans. Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (born 1932) is an Irish republican. ... Abstentionism is the policy of seeking election to a body while refusing to take up the seats or even sitting in an alternative assembly. ... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a political party[2] operating in Ireland. ...

Adams' leadership of Sinn Féin was supported by a Northern-based cadre that included people like Danny Morrison and Martin McGuinness. Adams and others, over time, pointed to Sinn Féin electoral successes in 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. Daniel Gerard Morrison, known generally as Danny Morrison (born 1953 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an Irish republican activist and writer. ... James Martin Pacelli McGuinness MP MLA (Irish: Máirtín Mag Aonghusa,[1] born in Derry 23 May 1950) is the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: [1][2]), commonly known as Bobby Sands, (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981), was a Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer and member of the UK parliament who died on hunger strike whilst in HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) for the possession of firearms. ... Volunteer Kieran (or Ciarán) Doherty (Provisional Irish Republican Army, Belfast Brigade) died at the age of 25 in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike in Long Kesh (prison). ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... This article is about the current Irish body. ...

Voice ban

In popular consciousness in Britain, Adams is primarily remembered during the latter part of this period for the ban on the media broadcast of his voice (the ban actually covered all republican organizations and unionist terrorist organizations, but in practice Adams was the only one prominent enough to appear regularly on TV). This ban was imposed by the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher on 19 October 1988, the reason given being to "deny terrorists the oxygen of publicity" after the BBC interviewed Martin McGuinness.^[15] Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic, whether as a unitary state, a federal state or as a confederal arrangement. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and to date only woman to hold either post. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... James Martin Pacelli McGuinness MP MLA (Irish: Máirtín Mag Aonghusa,[1] born in Derry 23 May 1950) is the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. ...

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 ban, initially by the use of subtitles, but later and more commonly by the use of an actor reading his words over the images of him speaking. Although the Republic of Ireland does not currently exercise much (almost none) censorship in practice, the state has wide-ranging laws which allow censorship, and has specific laws covering films, advertisements, newspapers and magazines, as well as terrorism and pornography. ...

This ban was much lampooned in cartoons and satirical TV shows, notably Spitting Image, and in The Day Today (as being required to inhale helium to "subtract credibility"), and was criticized by freedom of speech organizations worldwide and British media personalties, including BBC Director General John Birt and BBC foreign editor John Simpson. The ban was lifted by Prime Minister John Major on 17 September 1994. Spitting Image was a satirical puppet show that ran on the United Kingdoms ITV television network from 1984 to 1996. ... The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs news programmes. ... This article is about the general concept. ... John Birt, Baron Birt (born 10 December 1944), served as the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 1992 to 2000, having previously been deputy director-general since 1987. ... John Simpson has been World Affairs Editor for BBC News since 1998. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ...

Moving into mainstream politics

Sinn Féin continued its policy of refusing to sit in the Westminster parliament even after Adams won the Belfast West constituency. He lost his seat to Joe Hendron of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in the 1992 general election. However, he easily regained it at the next election in May 1997. Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ... Creation 1922 MP Gerry Adams Party Sinn Féin Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Lisburn EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Joe Hendron is a Northern Ireland politician, who has been a member of both the British House of Commons and the Irish Senate. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992. ...

Under Adams, Sinn Féin appeared to move away from being a political voice of the Provisional IRA to becoming a professionally organized political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

SDLP leader John Hume, MP, 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 the government of the Republic under Charles Haughey – although both governments maintained in public that they would not negotiate with "terrorists" . John Hume. ... The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is an arm of the United Kingdom government, responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. ... The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the British cabinet minister who has responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. ... The Right Honourable Peter Leonard Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, PC (born March 3, 1934), is a British politician, a former Conservative Cabinet member, and former member of Parliament for the constituency of Cities of London & Westminster. He is the son of Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor, a... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

These talks provided the groundwork for what was later to be the Belfast Agreement, as well as the milestone Downing Street Declaration and the Joint Framework Document. The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... The Downing Street Declaration was a joint declaration issued on December 15, 1993 by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Major and Albert Reynolds, the Taoiseach (prime minister) of the Republic of Ireland. ...

These negotiations led to the IRA ceasefire in August 1994. Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds (who had replaced Haughey) and who had played 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 and consequent reliance on Ulster Unionist Party votes in the House of Commons, led the IRA to end its ceasefire and resume the campaign. The Taoiseach (IPA: or ) — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach[1], is the head of government of Ireland or prime minister. ... Albert Reynolds (born November 3, 1932), was the eighth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. ... Martin Mansergh (born 1946) is a historian and has been a Teachta Dála (Member of Parliament) in the Republic of Ireland since May, 2007. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ...

A restituted ceasefire later followed, as part of the negotiations strategy, which saw teams from the British and Irish governments, the Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP, Sinn Féin and representatives of loyalist paramilitary organizations, under the chairmanship of former United States Senator Mitchell, produced the Belfast Agreement (also called the Good Friday Agreement as it was signed on Good Friday, 1998). Under the agreement, structures were created reflecting the Irish and British identities of the people of Ireland, with a British-Irish Council and a Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly created. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... For other uses, see Loyalist (disambiguation). ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... Good Friday is the Friday before Easter (Easter always falls on a Sunday). ... The British–Irish Council (sometimes known as the Council of the Isles) is a body created by the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement). ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ...

Articles 2 and 3 of the Republic's constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann, 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 the power-sharing government. The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ... Northern Ireland Parliament Buildings Parliament Buildings, known as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont area of Belfast, served as the seat of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and successive Northern Ireland assemblies and conventions. ...

Opponents in Republican Sinn Féin accused Sinn Féin of "selling out" by agreeing to participate in what it called "partitionist assemblies" in the Republic and Northern Ireland. However Gerry Adams insisted that the Belfast Agreement provided a mechanism to deliver a united Ireland by non-violent and constitutional means, much as Michael Collins had said of the Anglo-Irish Treaty nearly 80 years earlier. The Partition of Ireland took place in May 1921. ... Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and Commander... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ...

When Sinn Féin came to nominate its two ministers to the Executive Council, the party, like the SDLP and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) chose for tactical reasons 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.) “DUP” redirects here. ... Mark Henry Durkan (born in 1960) is a Roman Catholic nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. ...

Adams remains the President of Sinn Féin, with Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin serving as Sinn Féin parliamentary leader in Dáil Éireann, and Martin McGuinness the party's chief negotiator and effective party head in the Northern Ireland Assembly. His son, Gearoid is a primary school teacher and has represented Co. Antrim in gaelic football. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (IPA: ; born September 18, 1953) is a Sinn Féin politician from Ireland. ... James Martin Pacelli McGuinness MP MLA (Irish: Máirtín Mag Aonghusa,[1] born in Derry 23 May 1950) is the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. ...

Adams was re-elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 March 2007,^[16] and on 26 March 2007 he met with DUP leader Ian Paisley face-to-face for the first time, and the two came to an agreement regarding the return of the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland.^[17] is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

References

is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Edward Ed Moloney is an Irish journalist and author. ... It has been suggested that Penguin Modern Poets, Penguin Great Ideas be merged into this article or section. ... Peter Taylor is a British journalist and documentary maker who has covered the Troubles in Northern Ireland for many years. ... Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is an independent, London-based publishing house known for literary novels. ... Richard English is a historian from Northern Ireland. ... 1961 Pan Books edition of Ian Flemings James Bond novel Goldfinger is an example of the type of publication for which Pan Books became popular. ... Faber and Faber is a celebrated publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing the poetry of T. S. Eliot. ... It has been suggested that Irish Times Trust be merged into this article or section. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Published works

• Falls Memories, 1982
• The Politics of Irish Freedom, 1986
• A Pathway to Peace, 1988
• An Irish Voice
• Cage Eleven, 1990
• The Street and Other Stories, 1992
• Free Ireland: Towards a Lasting Peace, 1995
• Before the Dawn, 1996, Brandon Books, ISBN 0-434-00341-7
• Selected Writings
• Who Fears to Speak...?, 2001(Original Edition 1991), Beyond the Pale Publications, ISBN 1-90096-013-3
• An Irish Journal, 2001, Brandon Books, ISBN 0-86322-282-X
• Hope and History, 2003, Brandon Books, ISBN 0-86322-330-3

See also

• IRA Army Council
• Provisional Irish Republican Army
• Sinn Féin
• History of Northern Ireland
• The Troubles
• Northern Ireland peace process

• J. Bowyer Bell. The Secret Army: The IRA 1916 -. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1979.
• Colm Keena. A Biography of Gerry Adams. Cork, Ireland: Mercier Press, 1990.
• Ed Moloney. A Secret History of the IRA. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.
• O'Callaghan, Sean. The Informer. Corgi. 1999. ISBN 0-552-14607-2
• Robert W. White. Ruairi O Bradaigh, the Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006.
• Anthony McIntyre. Gerry Adams Man Of War and Man Of Peace?, academic lecture examining Gerry Adams' role in the Republican Movement

The IRA Army Council is the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA.[2]) is an Irish Republican, left wing[3] paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Troubles (disambiguation) and Trouble. ... When discussing the history of Northern Ireland, the peace process is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of The Troubles, the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement, and subsequent political developments. ...

External links

• Sinn Féin - Gerry Adams official profile
• Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle - Gerry Adams
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Gerry Adams MP
• The Public Whip - Gerry Adams voting record