NEW IRELAND ÉIRE NUA
AN INTERVIEW WITH...
Mark Guilfoyle President of Friends of Sinn Féin USA The USA has been and remains central to the cause of Irish unity, independence, and freedom. In every phase of struggle from Wolfe Tone, the Fenian movement, the 1916 Rising, the 1981 Hunger Strikes, the peace process, and Good Friday Agreement, Irish America has stood with Irish Republicanism. The story of Friends of Sinn Féin is the story of the peace process. Established in 1994 following the first visit to the USA by Gerry Adams, the group is the only authorized body to support the work of Sinn Fein in the USA. Brexit has demonstrated that the USA remains a player in safeguarding our agreements and interests. The USA will be crucial to secure and win the unity referendum and to build a new and united Ireland. In this edition, we Interview Mark Guilfoyle, President of Friends of Sinn Féin USA, about Irish America, Friends of Sinn Féin, and what the future holds.
Eire Nua: In every phase of our history Irish America has played a central role. What continues to drive the interest in Ireland? Mark Guilfoyle: First of all we have to look at how America was born. We were a colony of Britain. We threw off British occupation. We fought a war over it. We despise tyranny and colonialism. That is embedded in the American psyche. On top of that, the Irish immigrant experience stretches over two hundred years. Their stories have been handed down through generations - leaving Ireland to escape poverty, injustice, or persecution. The Irish took the jobs that no one else wanted to do. They built the railroads and went down the mines. They always wanted better for their children. I’m the first in my family to go to college. My dad was a union pipefitter. Through it all, Irish America retained a sense of community, of pride in both Ireland and America. The American values of democracy and rights and a sense of unfinished business back in Ireland drove the involvement of Irish America. It still does. It has often been quoted but is still very important for all of that but if you want s sense of the connection between Irish America and the desire for freedom and independence in Ireland you only have to look at the Proclamation which speaks of the support provided “by her exiled children in America.” That support has never diminished. Eíre Nua: Is the US still engaged in Ireland? Mark Guilfoyle: The descendants of Irish immigrants have
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