REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION HOSTED BY H.E. MR. GAŠPAROVIČ, PRESIDENT OF SLOVAK REP.
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION HOSTED BY H.E. MR. GAŠPAROVIČ, PRESIDENT OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Your Excellency President Gašparovič, Mrs. Gašparovičová, Distinguished Guests,
Thank you for the invitation to this evening’s lovely reception where I have the chance to see the Slovak Republic showcased in the heart of Ireland through her people and her culture.
I hope Mr President that you, and your wife and delegation, have enjoyed what you have seen of Ireland so far, but most importantly, I hope that in meeting with your fellow Slovakians you have met people who speak well of Ireland and their experiences of living and working here. Since the Slovak Republic joined the EU in 2004, over 25,000 of your people have come to work in Ireland. I was delighted to meet some of them when I visited your Embassy in Dublin last year. They told me that their experience in Ireland has been a positive one and I am very glad that the title “Ireland of the Welcomes” has held true for them.
Not so long ago Ireland exported her people in huge numbers all around the world and so we have a considerable knowledge of what it is like to be an emigrant – to have a heart breaking with loneliness for home, to want so much to feel at home among strangers, to want the chance to prove yourself, to experience barriers of language and ignorance. Knowing all these things we have the profoundest duty as well as the most remarkable opportunity to make the emigrant experience in Ireland the best possible.
Each newcomer enriches us and tightens the bond of affection and friendship between us. Each helps us fulfil the vision at the heart of the European Union for a common homeland and a shared future. Each is a fine ambassador for Slovakia in Ireland and for Ireland in Slovakia. Some will stay among us and many will, in time, return to Slovakia with valuable experience with a greater knowledge of the English language and possibly the Irish language too, with a love of Ireland and a network of friendships that will become a lasting, living bond between our two peoples.
This State visit has also grown our store of shared memories and deepened our friendship. I hope we have made you feel as if you are among old and dear friends, and I hope too that as Slovakia continues to grow and prosper in the years ahead, so too will her friendship with Ireland.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir!
Dakujem