Peace in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland had been a focus of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ grantmaking since 1991. In response to the sectarian violence known as the “Troubles,” roughly one-third of the 588 grants Atlantic awarded in the region supported reconciliation and human rights efforts. These ranged from substantial grants to organizations such as Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, which facilitated peaceful dialogue, to smaller, highly targeted grants—such as funding the education of Claire Gallagher, a victim of the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Shortly after Atlantic began its work in Northern Ireland, Chuck Feeney undertook separate, personal efforts to help end the Troubles and advance the peace process. In 1992, he joined a delegation of prominent Irish Americans, including U.S. Congressman Bruce Morrison, Irish Voice founder Niall O’Dowd, union leader Joe Jameson, and Mutual of America Chairman and CEO Bill Flynn, to mobilize American support and establish a discreet diplomatic back channel. Known as the Connolly House Group or Morrison Delegation, the group acted as an intermediary between U.S. President Bill Clinton—who was prohibited from direct contact with Sinn Féin—and Irish Republican leadership. One of its most consequential early achievements was securing a U.S. visa for Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, a step widely viewed as essential to opening up dialogue and encouraging the IRA to agree to a ceasefire; Feeney also funded a Sinn Féin office in Washington, D.C. The work of Feeney and his colleagues ultimately contributed to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998, bringing an end to nearly three decades of conflict.
Upon Feeney’s death in 2023, Morrison said:
Without Chuck, the Irish Peace Process would not have happened. Quietly, behind the scenes, he provided the glue and the resources in the places it was needed, in places most others feared to tread. He never wanted credit, he wanted results [...] When most people would not talk to Sinn Féin about peace and ceasefire, he stepped up and provided funds for their shift to politics. He funded the work of the Connolly House group that provided the communications that drew the White House in and gave Albert Reynolds confidence to move forward. Many others were helpful to reaching the Good Friday Agreement. He was one of the few who was indispensable.
Article from Belfast’s News Letter on Omagh bombing victim and Atlantic grantee Claire Gallagher, June 9, 2005.
Excerpt from the grant recommendation rationale for Gallagher’s scholarship, 2005.
Draft appeal written by Chuck Feeney, July 7, 1995.
George J. Mitchell. Letter to Chuck Feeney, November 4, 1996.
In 1995, President Clinton appointed U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell as the first Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. In this role, he chaired the all-party talks that ultimately produced the Good Friday Agreement, for which he was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Financial Times article on Chuck Feeney’s role in the Peace Process, December 1996.
Excerpt of a draft Chuck Feeney wrote for a memo from the Morrison Delegation to Gerry Adams, the President and Executive of Sinn Féin, urging an immediate call for the IRA to renew its ceasefire, 1997.
Adams’s response to the Morrison Delegation memo, July 18, 1997.
Chuck Feeney with then President of Ireland Mary McAleese, 1998.
Chuck Feeney with Gerry Adams at a dinner hosted by Taoiseach Enda Kenny after Feeney’s honorary degree conferring ceremony, Farmleigh, September 6, 2012.
Photo by Paul Sharp.