A letter from Ireland

Posted by Jim on March 27, 2026

Fáilte

a Chairde,

I am told that there has been a significant increase in the number of Newsletter subscribers. For new readers, you are very welcome, and to long-term supporters, thank you.

Let me start from the beginning, “a Chairde” is the Irish Gaelic way to address a letter, and it simply means “friends”.

So, friends welcome, and let me introduce myself. I am Sinn Féin’s representative to North America. Sinn Féin is the largest party across all of Ireland. We are an Irish Republican Party dedicated to building a united Ireland and a republic declared during the Easter Rising of 1916.

The party was established in 1905, and the name Sinn Féin translates roughly as “Ourselves Alone”. The name reflects the aspiration for an independent Ireland rather than an isolationist approach, as we work with others nationally and internationally to build Irish Unity.

Sinn Féin is the largest party and is in government in the North of Ireland, where our Vice President, Michelle O’Neill, is the First Minister. In Dublin, we are the largest party of opposition, and our party President, Mary Lou McDonald, is the leader of the official opposition in the Dáil.

My position is unique in Irish politics; there is no other party that works closely with supporters in the US and Canada on a day-to-day basis. I report to our party president.

Before taking on this role, I worked with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness in various roles, including Sinn Féin Director of Communications. I grew up in Belfast in the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s and now work out of an office in Dublin when I am not in the air or on the ground in the US or Canada.

I took over this role in 2020 from the late, great and sorely missed Rita O’Hare. This unique role reflects both the strategic importance of the US and Canada to the cause of Irish Freedom and our view that the Irish abroad are very much a part of our nation.

North America has shaped Ireland as much as the Irish have built America and Canada. Every revolutionary period in Irish history relied on the support of our “exiled Children”. There would be no Easter Rising or Good Friday Agreement without you.

We are now at a point in our History where Irish Unity is within this generation’s grasp.

The Good Friday Agreement provides a peaceful and democratic pathway to Unity through referendums in the North and the South.

For supporters of Irish Unity, our shared objective is to secure and win the referendums as promised in the Agreement, despite British and Irish Government indifference.

Together, we can fully implement the Agreement and allow the people of Ireland to define their future.

Your first step in playing a part in delivering a United Ireland is in signing up to this newsletter and becoming informed and active.

Let me know if there are any issues you would like me to write about and keep informed by following Friends of Sinn Féin on their socials.

Have a great weekend.

Is mise,

Ciarán

Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America