Clinton, Bush and Obama: US president visits that brought NI to a standstill
- Published
US President Joe Biden has said he intends to visit Northern Ireland after being invited to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Biden said he wants to visit both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
More details of the visit are expected to be revealed in the coming days, but the arrival of a US president has traditionally been a massive occasion in Northern Ireland.
From Bill Clinton to George Bush and Barack Obama, we take a look at the visits of presidents past.
1995: Clinton a historic first
Bill Clinton made history by becoming the first sitting US President to visit Northern Ireland when he and First Lady Hillary Clinton touched down at Belfast International Airport on 30 November 1995.
Mr Clinton visited Northern Ireland to voice his support for an end to the Troubles and to encourage a peace agreement.
During the trip, the president visited a number of areas in Belfast and also visited Londonderry, Armagh and Omagh.
After arriving in Belfast, the Clinton family toured Mackies factory on the Springfield Road, where they were introduced by two local primary schoolchildren, David Sterrit and Catherine Hamill.
Mr Clinton also visited the Shankill Road and the Falls Road, where he shook hands with Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams.
After the handshake, Mr Clinton visited an Enterprise Park in east Belfast while Mrs Clinton met a group of women on the Ormeau Road.
The Clintons then made a trip by helicopter to Londonderry, where the president spoke in front of a packed crowd at Guildhall Square - a moment that years later featured prominently in the second season of hit comedy Derry Girls.
The evening was rounded off when Bill and Hillary Clinton switched on the Christmas lights outside Belfast City Hall.
1998: The Good Friday Agreement and Omagh
Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair and his wife Cherie attended the site of the Omagh bombing in September 1998
Mr Clinton would return to Northern Ireland again on 3 September 1998, five months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and just a month after the Omagh bombing.
A Real IRA bomb killed 29 people in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998, the biggest single atrocity of the Troubles.
Whilst there, Mr Clinton gave an address he gave his sympathies to the bereaved families and called for a new peace to be built following the agreement.
The president also met with Prime Minister Tony Blair and addressed the Northern Ireland Assembly.
He also visited Armagh for a special Gathering for Peace on the Mall, where thousands turned out to hear them speak.
He shared the stage at that time with Mr Blair, former Northern Ireland Secretary, the late Mo Mowlam, and Northern Ireland's newly-appointed first and deputy first ministers, David Trimble and Seamus Mallon.
2000: Clinton's farewell
Mr Clinton addressed people in a key note speech at the Odyssey Arena on 13 December 2000 during his third visit
Nearing the end of his time as President, Bill Clinton once more returned to Northern Ireland as part of his farewell tour.
This was at a time when the peace process is struggling and sectarian murder had returned to the streets.
During the visit, Mr Clinton held talks in which he urged all sides not to give up trying to overcome the deadlock on decommissioning and demilitarisation.
He also delivered a keynote speech at the Odyssey in Belfast, in which he encouraged the implementation and progression of the Good Friday Agreement.
Bill Clinton given a jersey by the Belfast Giants hockey team
Mr Clinton's visit to Belfast culminated with a celebration outside City Hall.
The president switched on the city's festive lights in front of a huge Christmas tree donated to Belfast by the city of Nashville, Tennessee.
Thousands of people crammed into the city streets and cheered as the president wished them a peaceful Christmas.
2003: Iraq War and devolution suspended
Georg Bush met with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and then prime minister Tony Blair at Hillsborough Castle
US President George Bush visited Northern Ireland in April 2003 to hold talks over the political process in the country and the war in Iraq.
The visit began with a summit in Hillsborough Castle with then Prime Minster Tony Blair to discuss gains on the battlefield and plans for the leadership post-conflict in Iraq.
At the time the IRA leadership was under intense pressure to fully disarm and disband.
Northern Ireland's devolved institutions had been suspended since 14 October 2002 following a row over allegations of IRA activity, including alleged spying within the Northern Ireland Office.
President Bush, Mr Blair and the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern met with Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and Mark Durkan of the SDLP - the leaders of the pro-Agreement parties who had remained in talks aimed at resurrecting the Northern Ireland Assembly.
2008: Whistle stop tour
George W Bush was welcomed at Stormont Castle by Peter Robinson and by Martin McGuinness
On 16 June 2008, Mr Bush made a one-day stop in Northern Ireland during his European farewell trip as his presidency came to an end.
The president was welcomed at Stormont Castle by then first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness.
He was later joined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
Speaking after meeting with Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness, the president said the progress made in Northern Ireland over the past 10 years was unimaginable.
He discussed investment issues and the devolution of policing and justice.
He then made visits to Lough View Integrated Primary School in Castlereagh - taking some time to hit the basketball court - and a community project in the city centre.
Several hundred people demonstrated in Belfast city centre against his visit, with some climbing onto the roof of the City Hall with an Iraqi flag erected.
The protest at Belfast City Hall was organised by the Belfast Anti-War Movement representing trade unions and student and women's groups.
2013: Obama and the G8 Summit
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a keynote address at the Waterfront Hall ahead of the G8 Summit on June 17, 2013
US President Barack Obama arrived in Northern Ireland on 17 June 2013 to attended the G8 summit, which was being held County Fermanagh.
Following his arrival, the president spoke to an audience at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
During this he said the road to a lasting peace in Northern Ireland was "as urgent now as it has ever been".
Protesters near the site of G8 summit in County Fermanagh
Thousands of police officers are involved in security during the G8 event and Mr Obama's visit in Belfast, with disruptions to transport, roads and schools.
Anti-hunger activists wore giant heads of the G8 leaders, including Mr Obama, to call for them to eliminate the causes of hunger. They sailed near the G8 media centre in Enniskillen.
The president also visited Enniskillen Integrated Primary School, where he joined UK Prime Minister David Cameron
- Published18 January 2013
- Published14 March 2023
- Published17 June 2013
