website name article_title religion
-lsb- http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/20204 official website -rsb- gerry adams gerry adams
 roman catholicism
gerry adams

gerard adams -lrb- ; born 6 october 1948 -rrb- is an irish republican politician , president of the sinn féin political party , and a teachta dála -lrb- member of parliament -rrb- for louth since the 2011 general election .
from 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011 , he was an abstentionist westminster member of parliament -lrb- mp -rrb- for belfast west .
he has been the president of sinn féin since 1983 .
since that time the party has become the fourth-largest party in the republic of ireland , the second-largest political party in northern ireland and the largest irish nationalist party in that region .
in 1984 , adams was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by several gunmen from the ulster defence association -lrb- uda -rrb- including john gregg .
from the late 1980s onwards , adams was an important figure in the northern ireland peace process , initially following contact by the then-social democratic and labour party -lrb- sdlp -rrb- leader john hume and then subsequently with the irish and british governments .
in 2005 , the provisional irish republican army -lrb- ira -rrb- indicated that its armed campaign was over and that it was exclusively committed to democratic politics .
under adams , sinn féin changed its traditional policy of abstentionism towards the oireachtas , the parliament of the republic of ireland , in 1986 and later took seats in the power-sharing northern ireland assembly .
in 2014 , he was arrested for questioning and held for four days by the police service of northern ireland in connection with the abduction and murder of jean mcconville in 1972 .
he was freed without charge and a file was to be compiled and sent to the public prosecution service for northern ireland .
