Here’s a look at the life of Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, the leading republican political party in Northern Ireland.
Personal:
Birth date: October 6, 1948
Birth place: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Birth name: Gerard Adams
Father: Gerry Adams, laborer and republican activist
Mother: Annie (Hannaway) Adams, mill worker
Marriage: Colette (McArdle) Adams (1971-present)
Children: Gearóid
Religion: Catholic
Other Facts:
Sinn Fein means “we ourselves.”
Has written more than 10 books.
Timeline:
Early 1960s – Joins Sinn Fein, which supports the reunion of British-ruled Northern Ireland with the rest of Ireland.
1972 – Suspected of being an Irish Republican Army leader, Adams is interned without trial.
July 1972 – Is released to participate in secret peace talks with the British government.
1973-1977 – After peace talks fail, Adams is imprisoned again.
1978 – Elected vice president of Sinn Fein.
1983 – Elected president of Sinn Fein.
1983-1992 – Is the elected representative for West Belfast in the British House of Commons. Following Sinn Fein policy, Adams never takes his seat in order to avoid taking the obligatory oath of loyalty to the Queen of England.
1984 – Is shot and seriously wounded during an assassination attempt.
1988 – Begins talks with John Hume, the leader of Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party.
1993 – Adams and Hume issue a statement suggesting ways to peacefully settle the conflict in Northern Ireland.
1994 – Is granted his first US visa.
1997 – Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
April 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, is signed, establishing a democratically elected assembly in Northern Ireland. The assembly is suspended several times, with the last suspension ending in 2007.
June 1998 – Is elected to the new Northern Ireland Assembly.
2011 – Is elected to the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament.
April 30-May 4, 2014 – Adams is held for questioning in connection with the 1972 Irish Republican Army abduction and slaying of Jean McConville, a mother of 10.
May 19, 2015 – Meets Prince Charles. This is the first meeting between a member of the British Royal Family and the leader of Sinn Fein.
May 22, 2015 – Calls the election results making Ireland the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote, “a huge day for equality.”
September 29, 2015 – Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service confirms that Adams and six others will not be prosecuted in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville.
March 16, 2016 – The Secret Service apologizes for denying Adams entry to a White House reception, blaming the mix-up on an administrative error. Adams was invited to attend St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 15, but when he arrived he says staff informed him that there was an issue of security.
November 18, 2017 – During Sinn Fein’s annual meeting in Dublin, Adams announces his intention to stand down as president in 2018.
