RECEPTION IN HONOUR OF THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND & DR MCALEESE HOSTED BY THE AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND
RECEPTION IN HONOUR OF THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND & DR MCALEESE HOSTED BY THE AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND TUESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2008
Dia dhíbh a chairde Gael ‘s a chairde d’Eireann.
State Secretary, Ministers, Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, let me say how happy I am to see so many people here today, Irish and friends of Ireland, to help us celebrate the vibrant growth in relations between Ireland and Romania.
This is the first ever State Visit from Ireland to Romania. That this visit should come now, at this point in the political and economic development of both Ireland and Romania, is not a coincidence. As partners in the European Union since January 2007 our relations have taken on a new dimension, deeper and broader, more collegial, more focussed than ever in our respective histories. Past generations of Romanians and Irish may not have had the opportunity to know each other well but future generations will not only have that opportunity but even more importantly they will grow and develop a shared future together.
Historically this is a region with which we have relatively few connections apart from the Irish author Bram Stoker’s finding in Romanian place-names and the stories of Vlad Tepes inspiration for his famous fictional story of Dracula. And among our ancestral chieftains who had to flee Ireland during wars with the English there are many who served with distinction throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the 18th century Connell O’Donnell of the famous northern clan joined his uncle, already in the service of the Austrian Court. Connell – known as Karl in Austria – rose to become a Privy Councillor, and was Governor of Transylvania between 1767 and 1770. Another O’Donnell in Austrian service married a Moldovan Cantacuzino princess.
But these are fairly thin links and the cruel history of the twentieth century created little opportunity for Romania and Ireland to form a substantial relationship. How quickly that has changed in this century is clear from this gathering and from the enthusiasm at last night’s business dinner. There is no shortage of opportunities for growing our economic cooperation, our economic promotion agencies here. Enterprise Ireland – the organisers of last night’s event – and now also Bord Bia clearly recognise the potential here and will continue to work towards deepening this business partnership to the benefit of both the Irish and Romanian peoples.
As EU partners the Governments of Ireland and Romania have very close contact across a wide range of issues and I would like to extend a particular welcome today to those Romanian officials present. We like to think of you as good friends of Ireland. Among our good friends here are the members of the Ireland Romania Cultural Foundation, who have done remarkable work in bringing together the arts in our countries. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for this investment in deepening and widening our curiosity about one another and our access to each other’s heritage.
I would also like to acknowledge the work done by Irish NGO’s in Romania, mostly during the 1990’s in spheres now undertaken by Romanians. I hope their work will stand as an expression of the caring friendship between our two countries. The Irish who live here and those who visit are Ireland’s unofficial ambassadors. Their lives reveal our character and values as a people and like most Irish abroad wherever they go in the world they build respect for Ireland through the respect they show for their new homeland.
I am sure Ambassador Morahan, who has only recently taken up his post, will greatly value your help and assistance in promoting Ireland in Romania. Of course John is also ably assisted by his wonderful wife Emmy and his excellent colleagues, both Irish and Romanian, in the Embassy here and I would like to thank them particularly for their hard work in bringing this long-awaited visit to fruition and for this lovely reception. I would also like to recall the role played by Pat Craddock as Ireland’s first resident Ambassador in Romania. Pat is enjoying a well-deserved retirement but I know that he was very popular amongst the Irish community here and I’m sure he has a special place in his heart for this wonderful country.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I would like to say how pleased I am to see here today the very many personal relationships which reflect the vastly increased contact between Ireland and Romania in recent years. I want to personally thank the first Romanian I ever met, Elena Zamfirescu former Romanian Ambassador to Ireland. She was for a time my next door neighbour before I became President and we formed a strong friendship. No-one could have represented her country better. She translated my book ‘Love in Chaos’ into Romanian on her return home - another bond that links me to this place in a very special way.
Across social and cultural barriers, we need human beings who are willing to build bridges of friendship to one another for these are the only sure pathways to the mutual understanding that will ensure our Union grows in shared peace, prosperity and democracy, making of it the place our forebears dreamt of but gifted to us, a blessed generation to enjoy and to grow between us.
Doamnelor si domnelor, va multumesc pentru atentie si v-urez o zi buna.
[Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention, and I wish you a good day]