Gerry Adams

Long before he became President of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams was a civil rights activist who took part in sit-ins, marches and protests in Northern Ireland. Along with hundreds of other men, Adams was interned on the Maidstone prison ship and in Long Kesh prison – without charge or trial – during the 1970s for his political activities. Women were interned also, in Armagh Women’s Prison. Cage Eleven is his own account – sometimes passionate, often humorous – of life in Long Kesh. Written while Adams was a prisoner, the pieces were smuggled out for publication. This updated edition includes a new introduction and sketches drawn in Cage Eleven by another prisoner at the time, Danny Devenny. ‘Offers a unique insight into … the experience of internment … an unrivalled representation of the resilience and humour that were as much a part of the life of the political prisoner as the adherence to a set of political ideals.’ Irish Herald

In this collection, one of Ireland’s best-known political figures brings us new and selected stories of politics, of family, of love and of friendship. These are portraits of Ireland, and especially Belfast, old and new, in times of struggle and in times of peace, showing how our past is always part of our present. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always moving, these are stories of ordinary people captured with wit, with heart and with understanding. Introduction by Timothy O'Grady.

A stirring, heartfelt manifesto written by a man who fervently believes in what workers with their civil society allies can achieve for the good of all. Sid Ryan, one of Canada’s most courageous and progressive union leaders, draws on the experience of his varied and colourful life to show what is right with the labour movement, what is wrong, and what has to change if it is to avoid becoming irrelevant.In A Grander Vision, Ryan calls for the adoption of social movement unionism, in which labour forges an alliance with other progressive elements in civil society, taking up the cause of young people, precarious workers, and immigrants. Ryan asserts that a renewed commitment to the NDP — the party that was built by unions — is necessary and that the Leap Manifesto should become the pillar of the movement in Canada.

In this fascinating memoir of his early life, Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Féin, describes the development of the modern "Troubles'' in the North of Ireland, his experiences during that period, including secret talks with the British government and imprisonment, his leadership role in Sinn Féin, and the tragic hunger strike by imprisoned IRA prisoners in 1981. Born in 1948, Adams vividly recalls growing up in the working-class Ballymurphy district of West Belfast, where he became involved in the civil rights campaign in the late 1960s and was active in campaigns around issues of housing, unemployment, and civil rights. The unionist regime, which had been in interrupted power for 50 years, reacted violently to the protests, and the situation exploded into conflict. Adams recounts his growing radicalization, his work as a Sinn Féin activist and leader, his relationship with the IRA, and the British use of secret courts to condemn republicans. Adams was a political prisoner. He was arrested many times and recounts his torture. He spent a total of five years in the notorious Long Kesh prison camp. First as an internee, held without charge, and then as a sentenced prisoner after he made two failed attempts to escape. Adams chronicles the dramatic hunger strikes of Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Raymond McCreesh, and others in 1980–81 which saw ten men die. Though he opposed the hunger strike Adams was instrumental in organizing the mass campaign in support of the hunger strikers which saw Bobby Sands elected as a member of the British Parliament and Ciaran Doherty and Kevin Agnew elected to the Irish Parliament. Before the Dawn is an engaging and revealing self-portrait that is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand modern Ireland. First published in 1996—at a time when politics in the North of Ireland was in crisis and the Good Friday Agreement was still two years away—this new edition contains a brand new introduction and epilogue written by the author, covering Adams's family, Brexit, and the peace process.

Gerry Adams offers his own unique, intimate account of the early years of his career, from his childhood in working-class Belfast to the more turbulent years of social activism that followed. Updated with new introduction and epilogue covering the huge changes in Irish society since the Good Friday Agreement.

He's been imprisoned, shot at, denounced, shunned, and banned, yet Sinn F in president Gerry Adams remains resolute in his belief that peace is the only viable option for the Irish people. Adams led the oldest revolutionary movement in Ireland on an extraordinary journey from armed insurrection to active participation in government. Now he tells the story of the tumultuous series of events that led to the historic Good Friday Agreement as only he can: with a tireless crusader's conviction and an insider's penetrating insight. In vivid detail, Adams describes the harrowing attack on his life, and he offers new details about the peace process. We learn of previously undisclosed talks between republicans and the British government, and of conflicts and surprising alliances between key players. Adams reveals details of his discussions with the IRA leadership and tells how republicans differed, "dissidents" emerged, and the first IRA cessation of violence broke down. He recounts meetings in the Clinton White House, tells what roles Irish-Americans and South Africans played in the process, and describes the secret involvement of those within the Catholic Church. Then--triumphantly--this inspiring story climaxes with the Good Friday Agreement: what was agreed and what was promised. Gerry Adams brings a sense of immediacy to this story of hope in what was long considered an intractable conflict. He conveys the acute tensions of the peace process and the ever-present sense of teetering on the brink of both joyous accomplishment and continued despair. With a sharp eye and sensitive ear for the more humorous foibles of political allies and enemies alike, Adams offers illuminating portraits of the leading characters through cease-fires and standoffs, discussions and confrontations. Among the featured players are John Major, Tony Blair, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jean Kennedy Smith, and Nelson Mandela. As the preeminent republican strategist of his generation, Gerry Adams provides the first comprehensive account of the principles and tactics underpinning modern Irish republicanism. And in a world where peace processes are needed more urgently than ever, A Farther Shore provides a template for conflict resolution.

Published in association with New York's Irish Voice newspaper An Irish Voice chronicles the recent events in Northern Ireland through a series of essays begun in 1992 when Naill O'Dowd asked Sinn F e in president, Gerry Adams, to write a weekly column for Irish Voice. What started as reports on the state of Sinn F e in and the Irish Republican movement quickly turned into a log of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Falls Road looks completely different now from when Gerry Adams was a child living on it. Many of the businesses, houses, and landmarks have been demolished in favor of new developments. Even when Adams first wrote his memoir of Falls Road in 1982, many of these places were still around-a point Adams makes very clearly in his foreword to this most recent edition.