Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM

From: Friends of Sinn Fein Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 2:57 PM

Subject: Mary Lou McDonald speech at 2019 FOSF November Dinner

Friends Sinn

On Thursday, November 7th, 2019 Mary Lou McDonald, President of Sinn Fein addressed Irish America and all the friends of Sinn Fein at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

The evening was hosted by Friends of Sinn Fein President Mark Guilfoyle. Mark introduced guest speaker Jim Donaghy who spoke and then introduced Mary Lou McDonald. Mary Lou's speech is below.

"It is an honor to be here tonight, to meet up with old friends and to make new ones.

l Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Tonight is only made possible by the dedication and commitment of the organizing committee. A group drawn together with heritage from all four comers of Ireland.

My sincere thanks to the committee for all their work and for you coming tonight to support the work of Sinn Fein.

America has always been a friend of Ireland, bonds of kinship and friendship bind us together. This is a very precious thing. It grows and it endures.

I want to reflect on the passing of two of our dear friends this year.

Gene McCarthy was a quiet, unassuming man. His parents came from Kerry and Gene was bom here.

His care and concern for the lives and wellbeing of the Irish American community in New York touched many lives.

He will be sadly missed by us all here tonight. Our condolences to his wife Sheila and family.

Cormach Murrihey whose death was also a particular loss.

He was of a new young generation of Irish entrepreneurs who came to America and prospered here.

He brought his great drive and determination to Friends of Sinn Fein. He was a member of this dinner committee and a major contributor in the last few years.

Cormach was a committed republican, a passionate GAA man and a loyal friend.

Most of all he was a loving husband to Vivienne and father to, Cian and Caoimhe.

I would like to acknowledge Vivienne who is here with us tonight and express our condolences for her loss.

Loss and renewal all parts of our lives.

Sinn Fein in North America is also a point of renewal. For twenty years Rita O’Hare has represented Sinn Fein in the US and in Canada.

Many in this room know her or know off her.

2 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM She has led from the front; she has been a great ambassador for Sinn Fein and for a united Ireland.

Her legacy can be seen in this room and across the US.

The progress that we have achieved in the US is down to the leadership of Rita O’Hare.

The depth and breadth of our support base, the continuity of support and the encouragement of a new generation is testament to tenacity of one woman.

It is a legacy that she is handing on to Ciaran Quinn.

I am sure that you will be all as welcoming and accommodating of Ciaran has you have been with Rita.

Twenty five years ago, this month, Friends of Simi Fein was formed.

Ireland was a different place then. Our conflict, our struggle and our loss were daily played out in the streets of the north and on TV screens across the world.

That year Irish America campaigned for a visa for Gerry Adams, there was opposition from British Government and the State Department.

But the people in this room and others refused to take no for an answer.

President Clinton to his credit granted the visa.

Gerry Adams made that historic and faithful journey to brief Irish America and political leaders on the potential for peace. Within a few months the IRA ceasefire was called, and the peace process was bom.

It was a watershed moment. A moment of change. A moment of history.

Irish America made the call for a peace envoy to the North. Against opposition, George Mitchell was appointed, the Good Friday Agreement was signed and endorsed by the majority of Citizens, North and South.

The success of the peace process is a land achievement, in Irish History but also in world politics. Its significance should not be underestimated. And the contribution of America cannot be overstated.

3 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Irish America continues to play a decisive role in the politics of Ireland.

The politics of Brexit bears this out.

Brexit is the brainchild of English Nationalist who yearn for their empire. They cannot accept that the days of empire and dominance are gone. Over. Done.

If they want to leave the EU who are we to stop them. The fate of England is in the hands of the of the English and their Parliament, but the fate of Ireland cannot rest in their hands.

Ireland cannot and will not be the collateral damage of their Brexit.

Brexit is a constitutional earthquake. It undermines the Good Friday Agreement. It puts our economic stability, our prosperity and our progress in great jeopardy. And be clear our progress has been great, transformational, and we will defend it.

Twenty five years ago the border roads and crossings in Ireland were opened in many cases by ordinary people and communities. They tore down the barriers with their bare hands.

We will not accept, we will never accept, a border and division on oiu* island again.

We want to end the border, to remove it forever. To replace division with unity. To make peace permanent and justice and equality the right of all.

I want, to recognise and appreciate the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, Richard Neal, Eliot Engel, Peter King, and Tom Souzzi and many more in standing with us, at this time, in defense of the Good Friday Agreement.

The relationship between Ireland and American is not manufactured. It not a short-term strategic alliance.

It is real. It is lasting. It is formed in common struggle and shared heritage. It is about family and nationhood.

British imperialism forced generations of Irish people off the land and onto the coffin ships.

4 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Starvation, conflict and hardship broke up families. Some were exiled for their role in our liberation struggle.

Emigration was not a choice, emigration was a necessity. Emigration was survival.

Generations were also failed by Irish governments. That is a greater and a deeper shame.

Once in America, they seized the opportunity to build new lives.

This nation was built on the labour of many and the labor of the Irish in particular. Their needs were modest. A home and wage to provide for their families.

All shared the dream of building a better life for their children.

Their children prospered and can be found across America, in every walk of life and in every community, thankful for the sacrifices of earlier generations and for the life they now enjoy.

We are proud of the Irish in America. We are proud of who you are.

This room echoes with history, shared stories of home, of hardship, of joy and a commitment to do the right thing by Ireland.

The ache of leaving and the thirst for justice.

This has been true throughout the years. Irish America played a central role in all phases'of republican struggle. The Fenians, Clann na Geal, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Northern Aid.

Our exiled children in America have stood by the republic.

Friends of Sinn Fein, we are entering a new phase in our history.

As part of the Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Fein negotiators, led by Martin McGuinness, secured a democratic pathway to Irish unity.

A unity referendum.

The very basis of the Northern state and partition is gone. The trend is clear. A new and united Ireland is emerging.

5 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM I say this not in triumph: but simply as a matter of fact.

I appeal to all in this room to continue to stand by the Republic.

To meet the opportunity before us. The opportunity to build an Ireland, united and free. To ensure that America is again a force for unity and peace as we navigate the time ahead.

In the coming months we face general elections in the North and South. It is an opportunity to say again to British Government your time is over.

We will not attend a British parliament at Westminster. We will not take an oath to any Queen.

We are not subjects. We are free citizens. We are proud Irish Republicans; our loyalty is to the people of Ireland. To the Irish Nation at home and abroad.

It is also an opportunity to say to the Irish Government you can no longer stand idly by.

Now is the time to plan for unity and to build the republic. It is the responsibility and the imperative for any Irish Government.

A republic that is peaceful and prosperous. That is home to all. A republic that does not force generations into exile but offers everyone the opportunity to realise their potential.

We will see a new and united Ireland. We will ensure a peaceful, inclusive and democratic way forward.

There are those that say that now is not the time to talk of unity. Those who want to bury their heads in the sand and deny the democratic right of the people. That is wrong. They are wrong.

A unity referendum was enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement twenty-five years ago. Now is the time.

The Irish people have the right to that referendum. That was the promise of the Agreement.

6 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM' Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Change is coming, it can be chaotic, or it can be planned. But make no mistake; change is coming.

The lesson of Brexit is clear. No British Govermnent has the right to impose their will on any part of Ireland. Brexit demonstrates the failure of partition.

The way back for the North into the European Union post Brexit is already agreed; a united Ireland will have automatic membership of the EU. The choice is between a failed union with Britain or a union with the rest of Ireland in the EU.

Let’s plan for change and let us plan for a new and united Ireland.

An Ireland that is a home to all who share our small island. A home to protestant, catholic and dissenter and all who make up the Irish nation in all its glorious diversity.

The way forward is simple. It is democratic. Let the people have their say.

Let us secure a unity referendum within the next five years.

Let us put forward a vision of a new united Ireland that will gain the maximum support.

Let us win a unity referendum.

Our exiled children in American have been with us every step of the way.

Through the lean years, through the war years.

It is now time to finish the journey, to unite the county, to deliver peace and prosperity and to end once and for all the involvement of the British government in Ireland.

That is within our grasp.

Twenty five years ago; Irish America played a decisive role in shaping the peace process.

Twenty five years on it is time to do the same. Let’s look beyond the constraints of the present. Let us use all our skills, our intellect, our resources and our networks to shape Ireland in the coming time.

7 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM Let the people have their say.

The path is clear - secure a unity referendum.

Win a unity referendum.

In years to come let us say with pride that the commitment we made here tonight helped to build a better tomorrow.

We are the generation to deliver a new and united Ireland.

All of us, together. Up the Republic."

Copyright © 2019 Friends Of Sinn Fein USA, All tights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or have asked to be on the list.

Our mailing address is: Friends Of Sinn Fein USA 420 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10170

Add us to vour address book

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update vour preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

8 Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 11/12/2019 2:57 PM