Clinton's 1995 Northern Ireland Visit and Handshake with Gerry Adams Revealed in Declassified Records
In November 1995, Bill Clinton became the first sitting US president to visit Northern Ireland. During his visit, he and Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein from 1983 to 2018 who denied IRA membership, shook hands on the Falls Road in Belfast on 30 November. This handshake was later described by Clinton as a 'big deal' and he said it felt as if 'the pavement was about to crack open.'
Newly declassified records reveal that White House officials wanted Clinton to avoid a public handshake with Adams in front of cameras. Irish official David Donoghue noted that the Americans preferred to avoid such a photo. The handshake reportedly took place only after photographers had left the room, despite Clinton and Adams having met earlier in the White House that year. The meeting and handshake occurred amid pressure from then-British prime minister John Major not to give Adams a warm reception, according to the New York Times.
Additionally, the National Archives of Ireland files include genealogical research on Clinton's ancestry. Genealogist Sean Murphy stated that Clinton's links to County Fermanagh were largely fantasy, although he suggested the family might have emigrated from Ulster. The earliest traced maternal ancestor cited is Zachariah Cassidy (circa 18th century, son Levi from South Carolina).
Last year, it was revealed that Janet Reno advised Clinton not to issue Adams a temporary visa in 1995 due to a lack of evidence of progress on IRA disarmament. The visa would have permitted Adams to fundraise in the United States.
