Irish America and the Ulster Conflict 1968-1995 by Andrew J Wilson

The Clinton administration’s controversial decision to grant Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams a visa to enter the U.S. and Adams’s subsequent fundraising activities here have received wide media coverage. That the U.S. is playing a part in events concerning Northern Ireland should surprise no one. Americans of Irish descent have long used their economic and political power to influence events in Northern Ireland; this influence continues today as the two sides negotiate peace.