Gerry Adams—president of Sinn Féin, the second-largest political party in Northern Ireland—eschewed the recent violence in his home country in a speech at a packed Institute of Politics last night.

“The pathway forward is a strong one toward peace and reconciliation,” Adams said. “The story of Ireland was one of death and distress.”

Adams last spoke at Harvard in 1994, when Northern Ireland and Sinn Féin—which has been historically associated with the Irish Republican Army—were in much different straits. That year, a series of ceasefires were called to put an end to a decades-long period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland.

Prior to the ceasefires, multi-party negotiations had commenced without Sinn Féin, but the party was admitted to the table later on the condition of an end to the violence.

Adams said that Sinn Féin was “first and foremost an Irish republican party,” dedicated to “citizen’s rights, equality, freedom from British rule, and harmonious working relationships.”

“We’re in a better place than we were 15 years ago,” Adams said.

In reaction to a recent spate of violence in Northern Ireland, Adams advocated a “political alternative to war, a peaceful way to move forward.”

“It was interesting to hear his side of what happened in this conflict, since there has been much press around the world,” said Christina A. Bain, a Kennedy School program administrator. “It is interesting to look at Ireland as a genesis of ethnic conflict.”

Adams also spoke of his relationship with the United States—specifically with Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and Vice-President Biden. He described how the youngest generation in Ireland has never visited a prison, something that would have been far from the norm for young people even a generation ago.

“They have and deserve a wonderful future, and this wouldn’t have happened without the involvement of people in the USA,” he said.

Adams concluded by asking the crowd not to give up hope for a united and peaceful Ireland.

“If we think we can be part of this, we can be part of this. If we think we can do nothing, we will do nothing,” he said. “Everything that happens starts with a dream. The trick is to make the dream come true. I think we can make the dream come true for the people who live in Ireland.”