On Monday night in New York City, the Irish America Hall of Fame inducted four people, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has no known Irish ancestry. Clinton was honored for her contribution to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland that led up to it. She gave a nod to Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, who was in the audience, saying then-President Bill Clinton's controversial decision to grant Adams a visa in 1994 helped pave the way for peace in Northern Ireland.
As to her own role, a source of contention in the 2008 Democratic primary, Clinton said her outreach to the women in Belfast during multiple visits was important. "Most peace agreements don't last," Clinton said during her speech. "There's been some very important work done in recent years that — where women are involved, and therefore where the work of peace permeates down to the kitchen table, to the backyard, to the neighborhood, around cups of tea — there's a much better chance the agreement will hold."
Clinton, wearing green, was seated at a table with Adams. Asked what they discussed, Adams told The New York Times: "Babysitting, grandchildren and other such matters." Watch part of Clinton's remarks below. —Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.