REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A LUNCH HOSTED BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN BEATRIX NOORDEINDE PALACE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A LUNCH HOSTED BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN BEATRIX NOORDEINDE PALACE TUESDAY, 3RD MAY, 2011
Your Majesty,
It is a very great pleasure to be with you here today. Thank you for your warm welcome which reflects the traditions of Dutch hospitality and the excellent relations between Ireland and the Netherlands.
Over the past two days I have had an opportunity to see some of the richness of Dutch culture and to learn about the role of The Hague as the City of Peace and Justice. I have met with business people to discuss how we can build upon existing business links to the benefit of both our countries and I’ve seen at first hand the many connections linking the Irish and Dutch people. It’s a particular pleasure to be here during your legendary tulip season and I’m happy to report to your Majesty that the beautiful tulip bulbs kindly named in my honour last year are flourishing in the gardens of the President’s official residence in Dublin!
The capricious fortunes of history have brought our people into close contact over the centuries. Their imprint even finds expression in the national flag of Ireland, a tricolour, where the white of peace unites the orange and green traditions, into one peaceful, integrated shared community. There are other fascinating imprints for the legacy of 18th century Dutch artists and architects who came to Ireland can still be seen in our cities and museums and there was too the scholarly and intellectual impact of the Irish students who studied at the universities of Groningen, Utrecht and Leiden at a time when imperial law denied them access to education at home. It surely is no coincidence that these are amongst the educational institutions which continue to have thriving links with Ireland to this very day. Our vibrant contemporary educational links include Dutch students studying the Irish language in Utrecht, while Dutch and Irish scientists collaborate across a broad spectrum of problem solving research. The Netherlands hosts a vibrant Irish community and we have an equally vibrant Dutch community in Ireland. There are significant tourism flows between both countries aided by excellent transportation links and driven by a curiosity and a keen interest in each other’s country. Our people have more opportunities than ever to get to know one another and to interrogate each other’s countries and cultures. And of course we build a shared future as citizens of the European Union.
When Ireland joined the then EEC in 1973, we looked to the Netherlands as a role model as well as a partner. There was inspiration in the profile which the Netherlands had earned in international development through the integration of concern for human rights with practical programmes and policies. These years of membership of the Union have seen our relationships deepen and widen as we each participated in this great European project of building a continent of shared peace and prosperity, a centre of gravity in a world so often on the brink of chaos.
There are less well known areas of cooperation. I know that you yourself have been supportive of the Dutch role in the conservation of Irish peatlands, a project very close to my own heart and my own home. We are grateful for that support and grateful too for the strong trading links between us that create economic opportunities both ways. In 2010 the Netherlands ranked as Ireland’s sixth largest trading partner in respect of merchandise trade and our third largest partner with regard to services. The Irish Agencies – Enterprise Ireland, the Food Board and Tourism Ireland – all have offices in Amsterdam, reflecting the importance we place on the Dutch market and the Dutch people.
As a small open economy, Ireland was hit early and hard by the global economic crisis and doubly hit by a disastrous national property bubble which has left us with considerable debt as well as tough times now and ahead to put this crisis behind us. The Irish are no strangers to tough times. We are a hardy, adaptable and creative people, working now with great commitment to get through this time of difficulty and beyond it. Our future prosperity will depend on the speed with which we can return to the kind of sustainable growth that will enable us to pay down our debts and continue to invest in our country as a smart technologically advanced society. Right now we are focused on doing what it takes to follow through on the coherent plans set out in our road map to recovery.
Another road map, followed with persistence, patience and generosity brought us the peace that had eluded many other generations. Over the past two decades the courageous efforts of a great many people has allowed a new culture of good neighbourliness and parity of esteem to begin to replace the old politico/sectarian culture of conflict. The Irish and British Governments were relentless in working together on this great project and they received much welcome and useful support from abroad and from the European Union including here in the Netherlands. The peace potential is a gift to the future that is even now dramatically changing once fraught relationships and opening up new possibilities and opportunities that future generations will enjoy and harvest.
The successor children of those who supported William of Orange and those who supported James at the battle of the Boyne over three hundred years ago are forging a new and happier future, a new and happier history. Part of that new history includes our partners, good friends and neighbours in the Netherlands with whom we share so much in common as two responsible, democratic, international partners on the European and world stage. We look forward to strengthening that friendship and shared focus between Ireland and the Netherlands.
Your Majesty,
Let me thank you again for your warm hospitality.
Please join me in a toast to the health and well-being of Your Majesty and to friendship between the peoples of the Netherlands and Ireland.