REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE IRISH COMMUNITY RECEPTION, DENVER, COLORADO BROWN PALACE HOTEL
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE IRISH COMMUNITY RECEPTION, DENVER, COLORADO BROWN PALACE HOTEL, FRIDAY, 19 MAY, 2006
Dia dhíbh a cháirde go léir. Ta an-áthas orm agus m’fhear chéile Máirtín bheith anseo i Denver tráthnóna. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte sin.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and many thanks for giving us such a warm welcome to Denver and the Rocky Mountain State of Colorado. I am delighted to be here this evening, following in the footsteps of great Irish leaders such as Michael Davitt and Eamon de Valera, and following the captivating music, of my University days, of John Denver! It is particularly meaningful to attend this event in the Brown Palace Hotel where ‘Dev’ received such a warm reception back in 1919. As you pass through the wonderful lobby of this famous and historic hotel it is easy to imagine the scene almost one hundred years ago when the balconies were bedecked with Irish and American flags and a champion of Irish independence received a hero’s welcome.
By the time de Valera reached Denver in 1919, the Irish were well established here. The first influx arrived in Colorado with the discovery of gold in the late 1850s. The Irish came initially as miners, railroad workers, landladies and domestic servants. Many were trying their luck in the emerging western States driven by an entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit. Oftentimes they moved to escape the crowded conditions, hardship and occasional discrimination experienced in eastern U.S. cities at that time. By the early 1860s the Irish comprised Denver’s second largest immigrant group.
The Irish moved quickly to establish themselves as a vibrant and powerful community, forming chapters of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Daughters of Erin and other Irish organisations. It is remarkable to think that as far back as 1868, that is to say, two years before the railroad reached Denver and eight years before Colorado became a State, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were held here in this region. Wherever the Irish go and whatever their circumstances, their love of life and of the Emerald Isle always ensured a big party on that great national day.
By the 1880s, the Irish were a force to be reckoned with and both Protestant and Catholic worked together under the auspices of Michael Davitt’s Land League to further Irish interests. This year marks the centenary of Michael Davitt’s death and I was honoured recently to visit Northern England where Davitt spent 20 years of his life and where the loss of his arm in the mill at the age of eleven, provoked in him a determination to get an education which he put at the service, not just of Ireland, but of human rights causes throughout the world.
It is around the late 19th century that we start to see Irish names appearing on the political scene in Denver and in Colorado. Names like Morris, Currigan and McGauran. It is no exaggeration to say that the Irish experience in Denver is as old as the city itself and the individual stories of so many Irish, have helped to shape the social fabric of this great city and State.
In many ways, the Irish who came to the United States have also helped to shape the path that Ireland has taken to become one of the most successful economies in the world. Ireland has now achieved peace and prosperity and we were helped in this by our extended family here. The deep relationship that we have with the people of the United States would not have been possible without the adventurous spirit of the first Irish immigrants, who came to the US to make life better for themselves and their families. This they did and rather than turn their backs on the homeland that was not in a position to sustain them, they retained a deep and strong connection with Ireland, sending back hard-earned dollars and cents, sustaining and developing Irish cultural heritage in America, inspiring those at home with their can-do attitude and supporting Ireland’s long struggle for freedom. That care for Ireland and deep interest in her welfare was passed down from generation to generation and has resulted in the warm and close relationship we enjoy today - so close that Irish culture draws deeply today from her brimming Irish American well and the tributaries that flow into it, including the tributary you keep so well here.
Since the 1960s, the Irish have enjoyed a renaissance in the “Mile High City”. Its current vibrancy, built on the work of past generations, has seen the Irish emerge as a confident and strong community committed to the preservation of Irish heritage and culture. Your large and colourful St Patrick’s Day parade makes the whole city Irish for a day. With Irish traditional music and dance so popular and the Denver Gaels Gaelic football club celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, the spirit of Ireland is deeply embedded into everyday life in this beautiful place, enriching it colouring it, and binding it to Ireland.
That shared Irish identity holds us together despite the distance between us. It keeps us friends, keeps us concerned about one another, connected to one another and curious about one another. Thank you for all you do to ensure that these links of decades are refreshed and strengthened in each generation so that the values and vision, the spirit of the gael, keeps working its magic of bringing Ireland to the heart of Denver and Denver to the heart of Ireland.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.