It took just 13 months for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams to be transformed from pariah to party pitchman.
Barred from the United States until last year, Adams drew celebrities and supporters to a posh Manhattan hotel for an unprecedented fund-raiser Wednesday.Bianca Jagger, Tom Hayden, moviemaker Michael Moore and ex-mayor David Dinkins were among those paying $200 a plate to rub shoulders with Adams as Irish nationalist fund raising came out of the closet.
"No more under the table," said Paul O'Dwyer, New York's white-haired patriarch of Irish independence. "Now it's a check - boom!"
In the past, fund raising for Sinn Fein - the political ally of the outlawed Irish Republican Army - came through barrooms and back channels. But the Clinton administration's embrace of Adams and his party made this first legitimate fund-raising effort possible.
The charismatic Adams was greeted like a rock star - posing for pictures and providing autographs. He received a kiss, a hug and some words of advice from Mick Jagger's ex-wife. He smiled and greeted a three-piece band playing traditional Irish music.
An overflow crowd of supporters wildly cheered Adams as he stood on the podium, flanked by Irish and American flags. A banner behind him read: "Sinn Fein, A Lasting Peace."
"Today is a very historic occasion," Adams said. "I think the British indeed knew there were many friends of Sinn Fein here."
The luncheon, with Adams as its centerpiece, was expected to raise $80,000 for Sinn Fein's new Washington lobbying office. A Sunday fund-raiser netted $10,000 to $15,000.
Adams, who is scheduled to meet with Clinton on Friday, St. Patrick's Day, called on British Prime Minister John Major to "stop making excuses and start making peace. This process isn't a competition. It's a matter of life and death."
The Sinn Fein leader wasn't the only Irish politician in New York City. Prime Minister John Bruton said earlier Wednesday that he hoped the White House would continue playing a small but crucial role in settling the conflict in Northern Ireland.