Hillary Clinton lauds women of Northern Ireland and Ireland's 'wonderful welcome' of refugees

Micheál Martin meets Hilary Clinton. Photo:DFA

On the 16th floor of a skyscraper building, slap-bang in the middle of New York city, Tánaiste Micheál Martin looked at ease while meeting an old friend, Hillary Clinton.

Despite the mispronunciation of the Tanáiste's name as ‘Me-Hell’, the former US secretary of state made it clear in her remarks that her connection to Ireland, north and south, and to the Good Friday Agreement, remains strong and personal.

Business leaders and political figures gathered at the Mutual of America Institutional Funds building on 320 Park Avenue to witness Secretary Clinton receive the Hans J Morgenthau Award for her contribution to American foreign policy.

The event itself was to celebrate 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, with a particular theme of looking back and moving forward.

Ms Clinton took the opportunity to remind the room how her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, granted a visa to former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in 1994, which was deemed a pivotal moment in the reaching of an agreement.

Mr Martin listened attentively as Ms Clinton received a round of applause and hoots from the crowd when she said she wanted to pay tribute to the women of Northern Ireland.

She recalled one of her first trips to Belfast as First Lady at Belfast’s Lamplighter café where she sat down for tea with women, from both nationalist and unionist communities, where space was given for the “mothers” of the Troubles to talk openly about their fears.

She gave a stark reminder of the reality of sectarian conflict on the island of Ireland not too long ago.

It was a remarkable encounter for all of us because they talked about the fears they felt when their husband went off to work. Would he come home? When their son or daughter went out for the night, would they come home?

“They may have attended different churches on Sunday, but they all prayed to the same God and when they thought about the dangers those they loved most faced ,and how they worried about how any member of their family left their home, they knew they had to do something to try and help end the violence,” she said.

Words of praise 

Mr Martin, despite having a good relationship with Ms Clinton over the years while he previously served as Foreign Affairs Minister, said he was struck by her sustained interest in Northern Ireland which he described as heartfelt and personal.

Ms Clinton appeared to go off-script in her 11-minute speech to applaud Ireland for welcoming thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war. 

She said Ireland had given a “wonderful welcome” to refugees who have been displaced, a statement that led to an eruption of clapping.

In their private discussions, both Mr Martin and Ms Clinton chatted about the prospects of the restoration of the Stormont Executive, and the challenges facing the world from wars and climate change.

Issues around the rule of law in the world were also a topic of conversation. There was no talk of Donald Trump.

Following her speech, there was a scrum of well-wishers around Ms Clinton who, with patience, posed for many pictures, often twice when some attendees weren’t satisfied with the first snap, before she was whisked away.