Gala night at Dublin Castle for Clinton
Former American President Bill Clinton was ending his visit to the Irish Republic tonight with a gala event set to raise more than £700,000 for Northern Ireland’s Reconciliation Fund.
Tickets for the glittering Dublin Castle proceedings, also organised to mark Mr Clinton’s contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, were at a premium and sold out weeks ago - even at the £10,000-a-table charge.
The 200 guests scheduled to attend included a host of top showbusiness and political names - among them Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Ulster peace-broker and former United States Senator George Mitchell, U2 lead singer Bono, also still celebrating this week’s birth of his fourth child, Bob Geldof and Irish-domiciled film actor John Hurt.
Top businessman Noel Smyth, head of the event’s organising committee, said tonight: ‘‘This is a wonderful opportunity to honour Mr Clinton for his enormous contribution to fostering peace in Ireland.
‘‘We are also delighted that the Northern Ireland Fund for Reconciliation will receive over £700,000 as the result of this gala.’’
The reconciliation fund was established two years ago by Senator Mitchell, together with the leaders of the political parties that supported the Good Friday agreement on Northern Ireland.
Mr Clinton arrived in Ireland at the weekend and golfed on Sunday with former Foreign Minister and Labour Party leader Dick Spring at Ballybunion, Ireland’s best-known links course.
Yesterday he met both Mr Ahern and President Mary McAleese before delivering the annual Independent Lecture at Dublin’s Trinity College university.
Tomorrow the ex-president goes to Northern Ireland.
