COVINGTON — Gerry Adams has been considered a hawk in the religious and political conflict in Northern Ireland, but he'll bring an olive branch of peace with him to Northern Kentucky on Monday.

        Mr. Adams, president of Sinn Fein, the oldest political party in Ireland and the political arm of the Irish Republican Army, will give an address on the role of religion in Northern Ireland at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption at 6 p.m. Monday.

Adams

        “The message Mr. Adams is bringing to Northern Kentucky is one of a need for peace in Northern Ireland, and respect for each other's beliefs,” attorney Mark Guilfoyle, one of the sponsors of Mr. Adams' trip, explained.

        In addition to his address at the cathedral, Mr. Adams is scheduled to ring the World Peace Bell in Newport at 5 p.m. Monday. He'll be named a Kentucky Colonel by Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery.

        He will also take part in a fund-raiser/dinner at Jack Quinn's Irish Pub in Covington after his speech at the cathedral.

        Speaking of his visit, Mr. Adams, who was elected Sinn Fein president in 1983, said Sinn Fein is committed to a united Ireland that guarantees civil rights for all citizens.

        “We have to realize that there are different religious traditions observed in Ireland,” the West Belfast native said. “Particularly in Northern Ireland, everyone must commit themselves to religious tradition. I am looking forward to addressing the imperative for religious tolerance at the Cathedral Basilica.”

        Mr. Adams, 53, was twice imprisoned for his IRA activities in the 1970s. A bomb attack was carried out at his home, he was shot in an attack in downtown Belfast, and his brother-in-law was killed by British Army soldiers.

        “It is gratifying to come to the World Peace Bell to celebrate our work for peace in Ireland,” he said. “Responsible people have to recognize the mandate for peace in Ireland.”

        He is a minister of Parliament from Northern Ireland, but has refused to take his seat because he won't take the compulsory oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth.

        Mr. Adams is the second Sinn Fein official to visit Northern Kentucky and ring the World Peace Bell in as many years.

        Martin McGuinness — Mr. Adams' deputy, Sinn Fein's Northern Ireland education minister and a former IRA commander — was here last March. He also took part in a fund-raiser at Jack Quinn's as part of a U.S. tour.

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