Northern Ireland Collections
Archival Collections
The Clinton Digital Library contains thousands of pages of records pertaining to the Clinton Administration’s involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process. While some of these materials are redacted because of national security, the available documents provide a rich, behind-the-scenes account of President Clinton’s controversial decision to give Gerry Adams a US visa in 1994, his preparations for highly publicized trips to Northern Ireland in 1995 and 1998, as well as the President’s telephone diplomacy on behalf of the Good Friday Agreement. This archive also highlights the contributions of key staff members to the success of the Clinton Administration’s efforts, such as National Security Advisers Anthony Lake and Sandy Berger, National Security Council (NSC) Staff Director Nancy Soderberg, and NSC chief foreign policy speechwriter Antony Blinken.
The Curated Folders page provides links to selected records drawn from several different Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) collections to complement the principal “chapters” of this Digital Library Exhibit.
Links to existing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case folders are available in Archival Collections Related to Northern Ireland Page. This page summarizes FOIA Cases and Mandatory Declassification Reviews that are responsive to the topic of the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern presented this chess set created by Colm McCann to President Clinton on March 17, 1998 at the annual St. Patrick’s Day event at the White House. McCann’s design was inspired by the White Island figures of County Fermanagh (Northern Ireland) and the high cross of Moone, County Kildare (Ireland).
Museum Collection
The Clinton Library and Museum holds more than 100,000 artifacts, many of them foreign head of state gifts like this chess set. To view more items associated with the peace process in Northern Ireland, visit “Confronting Conflicts,” one of 22 permanent exhibits located at the Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Additional Resources
In addition to Clinton Presidential materials, this exhibit highlights collections from the following institutions:
Ulster University CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet)
U.S Government Printing Office: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
BBC NEWS: "Christmas with the Clintons: When Bill and Hillary came to Belfast in 1995"