SINN Fein president Gerry Adams has repeated his assertion that he was never in the IRA, a claim which has been repeatedly rejected by many observers of politics in Northern Ireland.
In an interview published yesterday Mr Adams said: “If you ask me if I’m a member of the IRA? No I’m not. Was I a member of the IRA? No I wasn’t. Now people will then make up their minds on the validity and the truthfulness and the accuracy of that assertion.”
Adams told The Journal he would never dissociate himself from the IRA but said that he will only know if he has to apologise for incidents during the Troubles if the process of reconciliation continues. He said: “I’m talking about the necessary job of moving into another phase of the peace process which has healing at its essence. [It’s] an attempt to bring about reconciliation and [the only way] I will only know and others will only know what we have to do to meet those challenges [is] if that engagement continues.”
On Saturday Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness also addressed the issue of reconciliation, when speaking to Sinn Fein national youth congress. Mr McGuinness said that the unionist response to calls for reconciliation by Sinn Fein has been a “disappointment” so far. “Reconciliation is not a one-way street,” he added. “Republicans caused much hurt also. [Sinn Fein chairman] Declan Kearney has characterised this as a difficult conversation we as a society need to have.
“Difficult as it may be not having it stores much more difficulties for us and for you in the future.”
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