Statements, correspondence, and press coverage
Meeting with SDLP Leader
Ad Hoc members meet SDLP leader A small group of Ad Hoc members met last Saturday with SDLP leader Claire Hanna and the Mayor of Derry/Strabane Lillian Seenoi-Barr. Key issues raised included. SDLP role as Opposition in Stormont and party future growth, Legacy reform and PSNI , Challenge of PSNI Jon Boucher to UK secrecy…
Keep readingLetter to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn.
Keep readingJon Boutcher Chief Constable of the PSNI Legacy talk for the British Irish Association
Good morning, I am going to address you this morning on the key issue of legacy. Legacy in my view is connected to a multitude of issues today in NI and across the island of Ireland, including societal wellbeing, economic strength and opportunity, UK and Irish governmental relationships and the trust and confidence of the…
Keep readingSaint Patrick’s Week Meetings
The Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement held a series of meetings in the run up to Saint Patrick’s Day in Washington DC. Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly attended a working lunch with the Committee providing updates on the devolved government in Northern Ireland. Professor Katy Hayward of Queen’s University also…
Keep readingJoe Kennedy III Participates at Peace Summit 2025
Joe Kennedy III, former Presidential Special Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland and the newly appointed co-chair of the Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement, recently participated in the Peace Summit 2025 at Fisk University in Nashville. This collaborative event between Queen’s, Belmont University and Fisk University took place on 26-28 February. The…
Keep readingBREAKING NEWS – Joe Kennedy III & Susan Davis appointed as new co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Committee, John Feehery appointed Vice-Chair
Former Presidential Special Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III and Susan Davis, President of Susan Davis International, have been appointed as the new bi-partisan Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Committee.
Keep readingThe Washington Forum on Northern Ireland
Featuring: Rt Hon Hilary Benn, MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Jon Boutcher QPM, Chief Constable of PSNI; Sharon Hudson-Dean, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; and Emma Little-Pengelly, MP, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.
Keep readingCommittee Calls On President Trump
The Ad Hoc Committee has released a letter to President Trump calling on him to appoint a new Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. For close to thirty years, ever since President Clinton’s appointment of Senator George Mitchell as his Special Envoy, the United States has appointed Special Envoys to end the Troubles and ensure that…
Keep readingStatement on the Sean Brown Case
The British government has once again sought to delay and deter justice in its recent decision to appeal the Sean Brown case. This unfortunately is a well-worn path that has been used time and time again to cover-up British state collusion in the case of a tragic, sectarian murder.
Keep readingBilly Lawless, RIP
AdHoc member Billy Lawless died on November 8. The former Senator for the Diaspora from Galway, an emigrant to Chicago, was a tremendous advocate for immigrants in the US and for the Irish community around the world. Billy cofounded VotingRights.ie to advocate for voting rights for Irish emigrants alongside Ad Hoc Executive Director Kevin Sullivan…
Keep readingStella O’Leary Wins Prestigious Award
Stella O’Leary, a long time champion of everything Irish, has been named by the Irish State as one of the winners of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad. Stella is one of the founding members of the Ad Hoc Committee and founder of Irish-American Democrats. For years Stella had rallied Democrats to support…
Keep readingStatement on the new public inquiry on the murder of Patrick Finucane
The Ad Hoc commends the decision by the new Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn to open a public inquiry regarding the murder of Patrick Finucane. For over three decades the Finucane family has persistently made the case that justice was not done in the initial and subsequent investigations of his cold blooded murder…
Keep readingAd Hoc Leadership Committee to expand
After a quiet summer the Ad Hoc Committee is pleased to announce that we have recruited two new Vice Chairs to our leadership team, Susan Davis, the President of Susan Davis International, and Professor Kimberly Cowell Meyers from American University. These appointments follow our long established bi-partisan tradition of working across the aisle when it…
Keep readingStatement on Restoration of Stormont Executive
The Ad Hoc Committee welcomes the DUP decision to return to Stormont. The devolved assembly is a key part of the Good Friday Agreement, and it must function at all times to be effective. We hope that this is the beginning of a successful period of Stormont governance through which the challenges faced by the…
Keep readingLetter to NSC Director Amanda Sloat
Urging the Administration to promptly and publicly oppose passage of the so-called “Legacy and Reconciliation Act” by the UK Parliament. Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement June 12, 2023 Ms. Amanda SloatSpecial Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe National Security Council The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Director Sloat: We…
Keep readingStatement on the Appointment of Cong. Joe Kennedy III as U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
We applaud the decision by President Biden to appoint Cong. Joe Kennedy III to be the new Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Ever since its formation in 2019 the Ad Hoc Committee has called for such appointment and we are pleased that a member of the Ad Hoc Committee has been selected by the President. …
Keep readingLetter to Secretary Blinken
Writing to express our urgent and unequivocal opposition to the United Kingdom’s so-called “Legacy and Reconciliation” Bill pending before Parliament. In our view, the proposed legislation violates both the Good Friday Agreement and international law, and undermines the Northern Ireland peace process that the U.S. government has played a critical role in fostering for two decades. Ad Hoc…
Keep readingFollow Us
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
AdHocGFA.org 