Nobel Laureate John
Hume is the current holder of the Tip O’Neill
Chair in Peace Studies, currently funded by The Ireland Funds. The Chair
was inaugurated by then-US President Clinton during his visit to Northern
Ireland in November 1995.
The appointment of Professor Hume to this Chair marks both a milestone
and a benchmark in the Irish peace process. A founding father of the
SDLP, he has now stepped back, handing the baton to a younger generation
of leaders whose task will be to consolidate the peace process realised
by his vision.
Professor Hume will share his wisdom and experience with others in Ireland
and further afield - publishing his reflections on politics and peacemaking,
contributing to the international dialogue on peacemaking and providing
a focal point for distinguished visiting academics and politicians.
On accepting the appointment, Professor Hume said:
‘I
am honoured and privileged to serve in a position associated with
Tip O’Neill. He was a man who helped encourage me not
only politically but in terms of inward investment and I am delighted
to accept this role’.
Professor Hume’s
dedication to the improvement of education and economic regeneration
of the North-West are well documented and this role will help enhance
these causes...... 
For background information on Professor Hume's political career, click here
Peace Lectures
Professor
Hume’s
tenure has been notable for an array of high-profile Peace
Lectures given by prominent global policymakers involved in
peace and conflict issues.
The most recent Tip O'Neill Peace Lecture was delivered by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan........ . See also a press release from the Office of the Secretary-General detailing the speech.
Other speakers have included
former US President Bill Clinton and the triumvirate of leaders
of the three political institutions of the EU – Commission
President Romano Prodi, Parliament President Pat Cox and Council
President Taoiseach Bertie Ahern – whose lectures were given
in the days and weeks preceding EU enlargement on May 1 2004........
Tip O'Neill Fellowship Programme
As part of the Tip O'Neill Chair, six fellowships have been awarded to scholars engaged in research on peace and conflict related issues to work at INCORE for a period of six months. The most recent Tip O'Neill Fellow was Cathy Gormley-Heenan........
About the Tip O'Neill
Chair
The Tip O'Neill
Chair in Peace Studies is funded by the American Ireland Funds to
commemorate the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives
- who was well known for his support for the cause of peace in Northern
Ireland.
The Tip O'Neill Chair in Peace Studies is awarded to a person of great
distinction: a peacemaker, academic or statesperson of world-wide eminence.
The activities and
organization of the Tip O’Neill
Chair are co-ordinated by the Tip O’Neill
Chair in Peace Studies Project Board......
Previous Chairholders:
- Cedric Thornberry.....
- Roelf Meyer.....
