President Bill Clinton to Keynote 118th annual dinner of the Friendly Sons of St.Patrick of Lackawanna County
President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America, will be the Principal Speaker at the 118th annual dinner of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Lackawanna County. The event will take place on Saturday March 16th at the Scranton Cultural Center in downtown Scranton.
In 1906, the Honorable Edward F. Blewett, President Biden’s Great-Grandfather, suggested gathering together on St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate the achievements of the Irish in America. The ‘Irish American Association’, later in 1939 to be named ‘The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Lackawanna County’ was born and has served to remind generations of Irish Americans of their heritage and the gifts of oratory, wit and music with which the Irish people are so richly blessed.
“The Friendly Sons of St Patrick of Lackawanna County are thoroughly excited to welcome President Clinton back to the City of Scranton, and we are truly honored to welcome President Clinton as the Principal Speaker for our 118th annual Dinner. During his time in the Oval Office, President Clinton was one of the most powerful forces of compromise between the parties in Northern Ireland, and the President’s efforts ultimately ushered in the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998. President Clinton’s work and legacy in Northern Ireland make him a special choice to keynote our dinner, and with the President’s personal insights and powerful historic experiences, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Lackawanna County will enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day to remember in Scranton.” said Daniel Haggerty.
Throughout his administration, President Clinton was deeply involved in the peace-making process in Northern Ireland.
In 1992, as a candidate for the presidency, he expressed support for peace in Northern Ireland. In 1994, President Clinton granted Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams a “limited duration” visa to attend a conference on Northern Ireland in New York. The decision was highly controversial, but critical to jumpstarting the peace process as it elevated Adams’ position and ability to be involved in the process, and laid the groundwork for a cease-fire by the IRA. President Clinton also took the critical step of appointing former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Northern Ireland.
On April 10, 1998, after years of U.S. engagement, the Good Friday Agreement was signed with overwhelming public support, ending the conflict in Northern Ireland and establishing a Northern Ireland Assembly. It enshrined majority rule with minority rights, shared-decision making, shared economic benefits, and special ties to the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
About President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton, the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, led the United States to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.
After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation in order to continue working on the causes he cared about. Since its founding, the Foundation has endeavored to help build more resilient communities by developing and implementing programs that improve people’s health, strengthen local economies, and protect the environment.
In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton served as the top United Nations envoy for the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery effort, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti and has partnered numerous times with Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to support relief efforts for communities devastated by natural disasters.
President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He and his wife Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and three grandchildren, Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper. They live in Chappaqua, New York.