REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT THE STATE BANQUET
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT THE STATE BANQUET HOSTED BY H.E. THE PRESIDENT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Vasha Excellencia pan President Schuster, pani Schusterova, Vazheni pan minister, mili hosti-a,
Na u-vod mi dov-olt-eh podyako-vat sa po slovensky za Vashe poz-vani-eh. Som vel-mi pots-tena a vazh-im si mozh-nost spoz-nat Slovensko a yeho milykh obi-vat-elov.
Translation:
Your Excellency, Mr. President Schuster, Mrs. Schusterova, dear Minister, dear Guests,
Let me thank you in Slovak for your kind invitation. It is an honour for me and I appreciate to have an opportunity to see Slovakia and to meet its warm inhabitants.
I am fortunate indeed to have the honour to be the first Irish President to pay a State visit to the Slovak Republic. I want to thank you, on behalf of my husband Martin and myself and the other members of the delegation, for the warmth of your welcome in this historic city of Bratislava and for your hospitality this evening in these splendid surroundings.
It is a good time to come - just as the final arrangements are being made for that historic day in Dublin, next May when Slovakia will join the family of nations that make up the European Union. From that day on a new partnership between Ireland and Slovakia will begin and the children of our two countries will have opportunities, denied to other generations, to share each others’ future. Like me they will be surprised to discover how much we have in common despite being so far apart geographically. This country, like Ireland is a Celtic country and Irish scholars and missionaries were active in Slovakia in the seventh and eighth centuries contributing to the establishment of Christianity and the development of learning here.
And to those who love classical music Bratislava is a treasury - for here great names -like Mozart, Haydn and Hummell lived or performed - adding the lustre of their names to your renowned musical heritage. Your Opera House and Slovak Philharmonic Hall speak of a musical culture that is vibrant in this generation and your manifest care for Bratislava’s magnificent architectural heritage tells of a people who have great pride in their past as well as great hope in their future - though I am sorry time prevents me from seeing the great work of restoration in Kosiche so dear to your own heart, Mr. President.
Our two histories have many parallels which give us an instinctive understanding of one another. We are both new countries but old nations. We had to struggle to nationhood in the shadow of bigger, dominant neighbours. Our respective national identities were the key source of inspiration in our emergence into nationhood and we guard them carefully. We have both exercised our hard won sovereignty and freedom in joining the European Union, the greatest adventure in democratic partnership between nations ever undertaken by humankind. Now we need to get to know each other better, to hear each others’ story, to listen to each others poetry music, drama, literature so that the Union’s great gift of cultural diversity will be well used.
I am delighted at the already strong interest in Slovakia in Irish writers and traditional music. I hope that these precious links will flourish in both directions in the coming years and bring our two nations ever closer.
The forthcoming enlargement of the European Union marks the most historic period in the Union’s history since it was first founded. Ireland is privileged to hold the Presidency of the European Council during the first six months of 2004 and so to be the first to say “welcome home” to Slovakia and her people.
Mr. President, my renewed thanks for your invitation to make this visit. I invite you all to join me in toasting the President of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak people.
Nyekh zhi-ye irsko-slovenske pri-at-elst-vo!
Translation:
Long live Irish-Slovak friendship!