Feeney, Chuck
Peacemakers
The name Charles "Chuck" Feeney has become known worldwide since it emerged that the New Jersey-born businessman had given away his entire personal fortune of almost $4 billion and in the process created one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations. Feeney's interest in Ireland has also included a strong desire to help with the situation in the North, and he became involved in the peace process as early as 1987 when he met with Gordon Wilson, whose daughter Marie died in the IRA bombing in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh that year.
Feeney, who traces his roots to Fermanagh, decided he wanted to help end the conflict and made contact with Sinn Fein and the other major political parties in the North. He was a member of the Irish-American delegation that traveled to Ireland in 1993 and 1994 to negotiate for a ceasefire, and with the IRA ceasefire, Feeney agreed to fund a Washington office for Sinn Fein. The Friends of Sinn Fein still have an office in Washington, D.C.
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