Downes, Larry
Peacemakers
President of Friends of Sinn Fein U.S., Larry Downes, a New York lawyer, has for many years focused his energies on improving the situation in the North of Ireland.
Raised in Queens, New York, one of seven children, Downes became interested in politics in 1977 when he worked on the gubernatorial campaign of Mario Cuomo, and went on to serve on his staff at the New York Sate Department. When Downes entered the field of law, he worked for O'Dwyer and Bernstein, founded by Paul O'Dwyer, the New York lawyer who was a legend in championing civil rights at home and abroad. Downes said the Hunger Strike in 1981 educated people around the world about the Republican cause. "It was the springboard for the current peace process," he said.
When asked about Friends of Sinn Fein U.S., Downes said, "We started the project in 1995 when President Clinton permitted Mr. Adams to come into the U.S. and raise funds. So far, we've raised over $5 million. That money didn't buy arms, but office space, computers and cars."
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