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She is the new face of Sinn Fein. She represents a generation that believes it can secure Irish

unity peacefully. Born after the troubles began and entering politics after the Good Friday

agreement brought them to an end. My guest on political thinking this week is Michelle

O'Neill, the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. She shares power and shares the stage

during the pandemic with the DUP's Arlene Foster. It is an extraordinary partnership between

two children of a conflict that cost so many lives and caused so much heartache. Foster

told political thinking about the moment she saw her father, a police officer, just moments

after it had been shot by the IRA. Michelle O'Neill's father served time in prison for

the role he played in the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade.

Michelle O'Neill, welcome to political thinking. Thank you very much, delighted to be here.

How does it feel to have a new president of the United States who takes an almost pride

in declaring, I'm Irish? Isn't it fantastic? I think it's a new beginning for the United

States after what has been a very turbulent number of years under the Trump presidency.

But particularly for Ireland, I mean America has always been a really good friend to Ireland

and I'm protected out of our peace process. And Joe Biden, as you have said, as described

as I'm Irish and you can see all of his public contributions involve some element of

present in his Irishness. So I think he'd be a good friend to us and the time ahead.

I think that the challenges which we face as a society, whether because of Brexit and

COVID and everything else, I think we're in for a new kind of relationship with the United

States and Joe Biden along with many of his colleagues because we have a lot of friends

of Ireland in the United States in Nancy Pelosi and Sandra Ritchie Neill and many, many others.

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