Irish Prime Minister to Participate in Belfast Event

Ireland’s Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will join Senator Mitchell and other key negotiators in April to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.

Trina Vargo, President of the US-Ireland Alliance, said: “The Taoiseach has been tireless in his efforts to bring lasting peace to Northern Ireland. We are honored that he will be participating. He has also been a great friend of the Mitchell Scholarship program and we welcomed his announcement last year that the Irish Government will provide up to 20 million euros toward permanently endowing this program that brings future American leaders to the island of Ireland.”

In addition to the Taoiseach and Senator Mitchell, others who will participate include General John de Chastelain, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, John Hume, Mark Durkan, M.P., MLA, Gerry Adams, M.P., MLA, Sir Reg Empey, MLA, David Andrews, Liz O’Donnell, Paul Murphy, M.P., Monica McWilliams, Lord Alderdice, Dawn Purvis, MLA, and David Adams.

Major supporters of the event include the US Government, Alburn and the Atlantic Philanthropies. Alburn’s Noel Smyth is also an active supporter of 3 T’s (Turning the Tide of Suicide), a charity founded to combat the growing suicide rates on the island. In conjunction with the Belfast plans there will be a dinner in Dublin, which Mr. Smyth will organize to raise money for suicide prevention.

The event with the negotiators of the Belfast Agreement will be moderated by BBC presenter, Noel Thompson. The audience will consist of the nearly 100 alumni of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program and their peers (young leaders between the ages of 22 and 35) from Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The dinner following the event in Northern Ireland will include performances by Duke Special and Maura O’Connell, as well as a reading by Michael Longley.