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Philadelphia Inaugural Leadership Luncheon

Honoring Senator George Mitchell

• With Emcee Chris Matthews
  host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews
• Friday, April 18, 2008
• Event & Lunch starts at 12 pm
• Keynote Address 1:15 pm
• Keynote Address delivered by Senator George Mitchell
• The College of Physicians 19 S 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

The American Ireland Fund invites you to the only U.S.-based event commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement, The American Ireland Fund’s Philadelphia Chapter is delighted to recognize Senator George Mitchell, the man most critical to making the Agreement a reality and to bringing to an end a generations’ old conflict in Northern Ireland.

The Luncheon benefits PeacePlayers International
In most societies, sport is a unifying factor. However, the opposite is the case in Northern Ireland where the sport a child plays or even the team a child supports can indicate the side of the community from which they come.

PeacePlayers have introduced the neutral sport of basketball to Northern Ireland. Because this sport has no connection with either tradition it is a threat to neither and can be played by both.

Senator George J. Mitchell entered the U.S. Senate in 1980 and became Senate Majority Leader in January 1989. He held that position until he left the Senate in 1995. During his tenure, Senator Mitchell earned enormous bipartisan respect. It has been said "there is not a man, woman or child in the Capitol who does not trust George Mitchell." For six consecutive years he was voted "the most respected member" of the Senate by a bipartisan group of senior congressional aides. In 1996, the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland asked Senator Mitchell to chair the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. Senator Mitchell led the negotiations for two years, work that ultimately resulted in a historic accord that ended decades of conflict.

In May 1998, the agreement was overwhelmingly endorsed by voters in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. He has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his service in the peace talks. These include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. government can give; the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; the Truman Institute Peace Prize; the German (Hesse) Peace Prize; and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize. Senator Mitchell has received honorary degrees from more than 40 colleges and universities from several countries.

At the request of President Bill Clinton and Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Senator Mitchell served as chairman of an international fact-finding committee on violence in the Middle East. The committee’s recommendation, widely known as The Mitchell Report, was endorsed by the Bush Administration, the European Union, and many other governments.

Senator Mitchell is the author of four books: Men of Zeal, co-authored with his colleague, then-Senator William S. Cohen, on the Iran-Contra investigation; World on Fire, speaking to the threat of the greenhouse effect and recommending steps to curb it; Not For America Alone: The Triumph of Democracy and The Fall of Communism; and Making Peace, an account of his experiences in Northern Ireland.