The President, Mrs McAleese, was guest of honour at the American Ireland Fund dinner in New York City on the second day of her visit to the United States.
Ireland's Ambassador, Mr Sean O hUiginn, and Irish American corporate leaders joined Mrs McAleese in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for yesterday's dinner, which this year has raised $1.5 million in ticket sales for a broad spectrum of organisations in Ireland.
Speaking at the reception, Mrs McAleese touched on the fund's history and its contribution to Irish causes, particularly in Northern Ireland. The American Ireland Fund, she said, had helped break down the barriers of mistrust in both communities in the North.
That process of reconciliation was under way with the Belfast Agreement, though the parties involved had yet to reach consensus on some parts of the agreement, the President said.
Established in 1987, the American Ireland Fund raises funds for projects of peace and reconciliation in Ireland and the development of arts, culture and education. Last year the fund raised more than $12 million for 200 Irish organisations, including Belfast's Kids in Control, the Ballymurphy Women's Support Centre and Slatequarries Festival of Art and Culture in Tipperary.
Yesterday, Mrs McAleese also attended a lunch hosted by United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, where she discussed Ireland's contribution to the UN's work. Mrs McAleese is due to appear at the International Peace Academy breakfast discussion on Northern Ireland's peace process today. The President will then fly to upstate New York, where she will visit Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute of the Deaf.