Media Library

Speeches

“CELEBRATING COLUMBA” WEST OF SCOTLAND NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND LUNCHEON ADDRESS

"CELEBRATING COLUMBA" WEST OF SCOTLAND NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND LUNCHEON ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY ROBINSON GLASGOW

It is a pleasure to be back in Glasgow and to accept the invitation of the Herald newspaper to speak to you today. I have learned with great interest of the work of the West of Scotland Newspaper Fund and the care which it demonstrates, in such a practical way, for the families of the newspaper industry here, an industry which enjoys an honourable and proud tradition in Scotland and which has contributed so much to the fabric of Scottish society, its economy, culture and political thought.

This is my fourth visit to Scotland as President. They have all been enjoyable, but this has been a particularly memorable one. Not only an official visit, it represents too a personal voyage, a journey of exploration, in a truly unique region in these islands. I will always treasure my memories of the special visit to Iona and to the isles of Mull, Lewis and Skye.

I came to acknowledge that treasured link between Ireland and Iona, the 1400th Anniversary of the death of Columba. My journey began at his birthplace in Garton, Donegal, where he is revered as Saint Columcille. Then I went to Derry, to be greeted by the Catholic and Church of Ireland bishops in a truly ecumenical setting, a spirit which continued in Iona where I was warmly welcomed by the Scottish Presbyterian community. It is notable what a presence Columba is for each of these Christian denominations, and, therefore, the capacity he has even now to promote understanding and reconciliation. And what a remarkable man he was: as priest and poet and musician. His spiritual legacy is a profound force in the celtic world and he was a vital link in the process that moved Europe from the dark ages into the Renaissance. His love of calligraphy and book making -

"I glide my flowing pen over a

gathering of books of great beauty..."

 

led to Irish script becoming "the predominant script of England", and to the glory of the books of Kells, Durrow and Lindisfarne.

On each of the islands I visited I learned more of Columba, and I also appreciated their special qualities. They are characterised by a certain timelessness which is so rare today. Above all, however, they have retained their primary strength, that of a local community in the deepest sense of the term. And I learned of further connections with Ireland. For example, when I visited Skye I was following in the footsteps of Michael Davitt, a childhood hero of mine when I was growing up in County Mayo, who got a rapturous welcome in Skye when he visited there in May 1887. He supported the cause of the crofters against the landlords and the crofters had been inspired by the Land League movement he had founded in Ireland. My journey to celebrate Columba had also become a celebration of so many links between the peoples of Ireland and Scotland.

Before I was elected as President of Ireland I had embarked on a journey of discovery within the island of Ireland, a journey that has continued over the past seven years. This visit to Scotland mirrors in some respects that voyage around Ireland. The quality of local community life in Scotland and the values which are represented there, have a strong resonance for us as Irish people. They evoke too a nostalgia for our past, for a slower pace of life, for a sense of neighbourhood and friendship. However, the Scottish and Irish experiences have other parallels.

Both have responded to the challenges of urbanisation, the needs of rural communities, the demands of foreign investors. At the same time, we have developed a solid industrial base and vibrant tourism, which co-exist with a dynamic cultural and academic life.

With so much in common there is an undeniable momentum for establishing more structured opportunities for us to meet, learn from each other and explore issues together. By structured opportunities I mean at a more official or formalised level, because informal personal contacts take place all the time.

And poets have given a good lead in this. Two years ago I received at Áras an Uachtaráin a group of Irish and Scottish Gaelic poets. This was to mark the fact that every Spring and Autumn since 1971 the filí of Ireland and the baird of Scotland have gone on a week long visit across the water - across Sruth na Maoile, or the Sea of Moyle, - to bring their rich and diverse readings to wider audiences. The late, much lamented, Sorley MacLean was among them, and they presented me with a copy of the anthology "Sruth na Maoile", celebrating twenty five years of cultural exchanges. This extract from the foreword struck me as having potential application for all of us:

"Those who have participated in these exchanges have come from a broad range of political views and religious persuasions, and while in the past politics and religion have often caused divisions between the people of Ireland and the people of Scotland, yet never have any divisions arisen on these tours. On the contrary, where in a few cases there may initially have been some slight hesitancy or suspicion about the "strangers", these were rapidly dissipated, and the exchanges have in fact cemented and reinforced good relations and mutual appreciation between the two nations"

More formalised structures would help in addressing many other challenges which we share - issues of identity; adapting to the demands of industry and technology, membership of the European Union, the protection of the values which we cherish in our society. These issues are by no means mutually exclusive. They can in fact complement each other and result in a stronger foundation as we plan for our future and the future of our children. Our strength lies, I would suggest, in our sense of place, a confidence in our identity and in our role on the wider European stage. Certainly, Irish membership has meant that we no longer only define ourselves in relation to Britain. In Europe, we know that we belong.

The question of identity is a core issue for us all : some fear that Europe presents a direct threat to our heritage, to our independent experience and values. I disagree. While the challenge is very real, it is one which we are well equipped to meet. Here in Glasgow, you have a special understanding of this complex and often sensitive question. Irish membership of the European Union has enabled us in fact to rediscover our identity, to act confidently in the present, and to take pride in our past. Much of our economic success flows from it, our independent political identity has been shaped by it, our cultural life has been reinvigorated by it.

Some might prefer to avoid a public debate on this question, in fear of the consequences. The culture of silence, however, can be far more negative and damaging. Surely now we have reached a point of political maturity when we can discuss openly and confidently the paths which lie ahead. In Ireland, where 50% of our population is under 28, much of our confidence comes from our youth. They are perhaps best equipped to be less burdened by past allegiances, to see questions as they are rather than as they were. These young people give us hope. Our challenge, therefore, is to reciprocate, to give them belief in the future and to build truly inclusive societies based on tolerance and democracy. They do not fear Europe: in fact, they embrace it and are part of it. They are right: our identities need not be submerged by Europe, rather they can be enhanced and enriched by it.

Those same young people are experiencing similar pressures to some of their counterparts in Scotland : we share the same concerns regarding drug abuse, unemployment and other forms of marginalisation in modern life. I am well aware that this city of Glasgow has demonstrated a great capacity to respond to such challenges : the renaissance of Glasgow, and the success which you have found bears witness to that. Again, we share these problems not just as neighbours, but also as fellow Europeans.

In the same way, we have found a new confidence in addressing our past : the commemorations to mark the Irish Famine from 1845 - 1850 provide an important example. Over one million died; two million emigrated. This process of remembrance, though difficult, has provided a rich resource of scholarship, a renewal of interest in our folklore and the establishment of a fine museum at Stokestown. It is a story of survival, too. It provides an indelible link with our diaspora, and represents a vital part of our past.

That famine commemoration provides yet another link in that the islands I visited suffered severe famine during the same period. And I learned recently of a fascinating connection involving humanitarian aid provided from far away to both Irish and Scottish victims of that famine. I had been aware of the generosity of the Choctaw people, who in April 1847 raised $173 for the relief of famine in Ireland, and I travelled to Durant, Oklahoma, in 1996 to thank them on behalf of the people of Ireland. I now know that a month later, in May 1847, following the example of the Choctaw tribe, the Cherokee people raised money for the relief of famine in Scotland. Their resolution of 6 May, 1847, explains:

"Whereas we are informed that the greatest distress is now prevailing in Ireland and Scotland for the want of food, so that thousands are perishing with hunger, and many thousands must perish or subsist on charity - and whereas Providence has bestowed on the Cherokee people an abundance for their own subsistence and, to a considerable extent, the means of relieving the destitute - and, whereas hitherto the benevolent community has seemed to be directed more to Ireland than to Scotland - and whereas the very considerable number of the descendants of Scotsmen among the Cherokee is calculated particularly to awaken our sympathy towards that people therefore, ...

Resolved that measures be immediately taken to afford ourselves and obtain from our fellow citizens means of relief for those who are suffering in Scotland..."

What further links in common can we find in commemorating that devastating famine? On a visit to the University of Strathclyde last year I was aware that significant research on the Great Famine has been undertaken by that University in conjunction with Trinity College, Dublin. And, when I addressed the Irish Parliament two years ago, I emphasised that emigration is not just a chronicle of sorrow and regret, it is also a powerful story of contribution and adaptation. The emigrant story is our story too. The fact that so many Irish people have settled on distant shores has had its own impact on Irish society, both from those who return from time to time and those, especially over the past decade or so, who have returned to live in Ireland. It also had an impact on places like Glasgow! Irishness is not simply territorial : it embraces other identities and values too.

On the island of Ireland this must include those in Northern Ireland who consider themselves to be British. We can accept and even celebrate what Seamus Heaney has described as "two-mindedness". A deeper recognition of the range and complexity of the inter-relationships between the peoples of Scotland and Ireland can, I believe, help the process of creating space for more complex senses of identity within Northern Ireland. It can enable those whose core identity is British to also claim an Irishness of which they can be proud, and those whose identity is Irish can be encouraged to express that and have it respected in the British context in which they find themselves.

Earlier this year, when I indicated I would not seek a second term, I was asked about the highlights of my Presidency. I said then that many of the highlights had been in small places, that I would remember the smell of wet paint: the resource centres, the sheltered houses, the involvement with people who were trying to change their circumstances, their neighbourhood and their communities. Over these past few days on the Scottish islands I found a similar vitality, togetherness and sense of community. We have so much to learn from each other, so much in common and so much to share that I hope this, my last visit to Scotland as Irish President, will bring us even closer. For me, celebrating Columba has been an unforgettable way of celebrating the bonds between us.