Former US President Bill Clinton is to return to the spot in Derry where he delivered one of his most historic addresses to pay tribute to Nobel Laureate John Hume.
US President and John Hume in Guildhall Square in 2001.
President Clinton will be in the city on 5 March next to help launch “Peacemaking In The Twenty-First Century,” a new book celebrating the Tip O’Neill series of peace lectures given at the University’s Magee campus.
During his visit, he will pay tribute to the contribution the former SDLP leader made to peace in Northern Ireland in a public address in Guildhall Square – where he also made an historic speech during his first visit to the city in 2001.
SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey said it was “a worldwide mark of respect” that “Ireland’s Greatest” was to be honoured by the former US President.
Mr Ramsey said the tribute was “fitting” given the historic contribution John Hume had made for peace.
He said: “I had the great honour of conferring the ‘Freedom Of The City’ on John Hume in 2000 when I was Mayor of Derry. John is the only person to receive this honour in 50 years so, it is more than fitting that John and Pat are having this further honour conferred on them by President Clinton, in the tpwn that John loves so well.
“No one will forget the emotion and sense of hope from that day in 2001 when John joined President Clinton in Guildhall Square, in his own home town. To have President Clinton return to Derry; a city which is ashining example of how people live together and work for a better future is fantastic.”
Mr Ramsey concluded: “Derry has just had a brilliant year as ‘City of Culture’, which showed the world just how great a city Derry and all its people are. When President Clinton steps back onto Guildhall Square next Wednesday he will no doubt see a city transformed, and the legacy of John Hume’s never ending commitment for peace in the North.”
Mayor of Derry, Cllr Martin Reilly, said he was delighted President Clinton was returning to the city.
He said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome President Clinton back to the city at this time, to see for himself the significant advances that have been made here in recent years.”
Edited by John Hume, Professor T.G. Fraser and Dr Leonie Murray, “Peacemaking in the twenty-first century” publishes lectures given by world figures including President Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as part of the Tip O’Neill Lecture Series, supported by The Ireland Funds.
Nobel Laureate John Hume held the Tip O’Neill Chair in Peace Studies at the University of Ulster from 2002 to 2009.
University of Ulster Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Barnett, said the university was delighted to strengthen its links with President Clinton and to welcome him back to the city.
He added: “President Clinton is an Honorary Graduate of Ulster, and has a long history of engagement with the University, particularly with our Magee campus.”
He concluded: “We are honoured that President Clinton will be with us both to launch the book and to support the developments at INCORE, the University’s international peace and conflict centre, linked to the John Hume and Thomas P O’Neill Chair in Peace.”
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