NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER
VISITS NANTUCKET
(Nantucket, MA) July 2005 -
Century
House recently hosted the chief executive, for the 1998 Nobel
Peace Price Winner, John Hume, known worldwide for his efforts
to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
The Century House was selected to host Hume's Chief Executive at
the recommendation of Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, a resident of
Nantucket.
Dr. John Hume was the keynote speaker at the American Ireland
Funds Annual Fundraiser on Nantucket. "THE MISSION OF THE
AMERICAN IRELAND FUND IS TO BE THE LARGEST NETWORK OF PEOPLE OF
IRISH ANCESTRY AND FRIENDS OF IRELAND DEDICATED TO RAISING FUNDS
TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION, ARTS AND
CULTURE, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN IRELAND, NORTH
AND SOUTH."
This non-political and non-sectarian
organization awards millions of dollars a year to projects
across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Dr. Hume’s remarks
highlighted the Irish Republic Army’s recent announcement that
it was ending its decade-old war against Britain and devoting
itself to exclusively peaceful means.
Pictured (left to right) Nobel Peace Prize
Winner John Hume, innkeepers Jean Ellen Heron and Gerry Connick,
Hume's Chief Executive Michelle Lynch and her fiancee, Mr.
Robert Thoubboron.
He further emphasized that the declaration is a
beacon of hope to the rest of the world by showing that even the
most challenging negotiations can be resolved through politics
and diplomacy, respecting the areas of disagreement while
employing reasonable solutions for an accord.
Chief executive, Michelle Lynch, indicated that
“in 2004 National University of Ireland, Maynooth established
with the assistance of private and corporate support, the John
and Pat Hume Scholastic Awards. By so naming its prestigious
Awards the University recognizes the lifetime achievement of a
Maynooth graduate and his wife and provides for emerging
scholars an example of the boundless possibilities provided by
education, ability and commitment.”
"The old world elegance of the Inn,
coupled with the warm hospitality of the proprietors in the best
of locations make the Century House a vacation to remember."
"A quiet old world haven, close to beautiful beaches and
strolling distance into town - where the ambiance is only
exceeded by the hospitality."
Michelle Lynch & Robert Thoubboron,
Ireland; July 2005
The
historic Century House dates back to the Cliff Road land
purchase in 1833. According to research performed by Edouard A.
Stackpole, renowned Nantucket historian and former director of
the Peter Foulger Museum, a member of an old Nantucket family of
Scottish roots, Captain Robert Calder, built the Century House.
Over the years, Capt. Calder took part in several long,
successful voyages to hunt whale, and eventually completed the
construction of the house in the early 1840’s. It is said that
Capt. Calder chose this site because of the privacy, the ocean
breezes, the views, and the genuine serenity the location
provided in the 1840’s and still exhibits today.
According to Mr. Stackpole,
the Century House is the oldest continuously operating
guesthouse on Nantucket Island to date.
Visit
www.centuryhouse.com for details. Season begins May 15
and ends around October 15.
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