A new book charting John Hume's work promoting Irish peace in America will be launched in Derry later this month.
Author Maurice Fitzpatrick will be in the city on November 26 for a special screening of his documentary 'In The Name of Peace: John Hume in America', at the Guildhall as part of the Foyle Festival.
The new book, published by the Irish Academic Press, features a contribution from Bill Clinton who describes Mr Hume as 'the Irish conflict's Martin Luther King'.
Author Fitzpatrick explores how Hume created this framework for peace through the cultivation of an unprecedented and bountiful relationship with the White House and the US Congress.
"John Hume's political vision and innate sense of diplomacy persuaded key players in US politics to merge their concerns with his own," says Fitzpatrick.
"Ted Kennedy, Tip O'Neill, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Hugh Carey together known as the 'Four Horsemen' were won over to his cause, lending the campaign for equality in Northern Ireland worldwide credibility and putting considerable pressure on the British and Irish governments to strive for peace."
Through his work with the 'Four Horsemen', Hume engaged every American president from Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton.
The new book will feature rare and previously unpublished photographs, including many from the Hume family collection.
It has been described as 'the missing piece in the jigsaw of Hume's political life, tracing his philosophy of non-violence during the Civil Rights Movement through to his indispensable work with friends in the US'.
Senator George Mitchell comments in the book: "Throughout human history, great leaders have emerged to lead…In Northern Ireland, John Hume was that leader…In the United States, we would call him a 'Founding Father'."
Liam Neeson
Fitzpatrick's film, which is narrated by Ballymena–born Hollywood star Liam Neeson, includes interviews with former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as well as former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major.
Maurice Fitzpatrick himself will introduce the special screening at the Guildhall and then join a panel discussion after the screening with Professor Paul Arthur, Dr John McLoughlin, journalist/ broadcaster Póilín Ní Chiaráin and journalist Susan McKay.
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