REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A SAINT PATRICK’S DAY RECEPTION, TOKYO, THURSDAY, 17 MARCH, 2005
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A SAINT PATRICK’S DAY RECEPTION, TOKYO, THURSDAY, 17 MARCH, 2005
Dia dhíbh a chairde anocht ‘s Beannachtaí Lá Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir.
Ladies and Gentlemen - I bring fresh from Ireland the warmest and greenest of Saint Patrick’s Day greetings to you all. It is not only wonderful to be on my first ever visit to Japan but a particular pleasure to be here in Tokyo to celebrate our national holiday with Japan’s Irish community and the many friends of Ireland here in Tokyo.
Saint Patrick’s Day is the most special of days for Irish people all over the world. We are an emigrant people, scattered across the globe but we are a powerfully united people who believe in clan and family and community, so wherever we are on this day we celebrate our Irishness, our ties to Ireland and to each other. We value our friends too and take pride in their interest in things Irish which is why it is marvellous to hear that the Tokyo St. Patrick’s Day parade is in its 14th year and that there are four other parades being held in Japan this year. Could there be any more clear symbols of the great friendship between Ireland and Japan and of the formidable ambassadorship of the Irish who live and work here? I hope this visit of mine will deepen that friendship as undoubtedly will the State visit to Ireland of their Imperial Highnesses in May.
This is an important year for Ireland in Japan. The Irish stand at the World Expo in Aichi will feature a presentation of our rich Celtic heritage, bringing more than a little bit of Ireland into the lives of the Japanese people. Business links with Japan continue to develop and to widen, spanning an ever-increasing range of business areas, from IT to the world of thoroughbred horse racing. Japanese investment in Ireland is an important and growing sector. Tourism from Japan is also increasing, particularly to the north of Ireland. None of these developments happen by accident but result from hard work and commitment. I would like to thank those of you here tonight who have done that work and made that investment in a shared future of shared memories and shared successes between Ireland and Japan.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of addressing the students and staff of Tokyo University where a number of Irish scholars and teachers, including Lafcadio Hearn who taught there in the 19th Century, are fondly remembered. The high regard for Irish teachers, including the Irish religious whose tutoring has been prized at every level of Japanese society over the last 60 years, has formed a strong motivation for the increasing numbers of Japanese students travelling to our language schools and universities every year. Educational exchanges will, I hope, continue to grow and become a distinguishing feature of our future relations with Japan. Love of the Japanese language itself has become an increasing feature in Ireland with four universities offering the language as a subject and indeed over the past four years it has been offered too at second level under a Department of Education and Science initiative to promote diversification in language teaching and learning.
Once, Ireland closed itself to the world and knew little but poverty and emigration. Today, Ireland has opened itself to the world and embraced the great opportunities that abound for friendship and collaboration between nations and peoples. The country which joined the European Union thirty years ago as its poorest member is now one of its wealthiest, a key influencer of Europe’s future, a people doing business the length and breadth of the globe.
We are proud of our prosperity and ambitious to share it widely throughout our country. We are proud of our culture and particularly when we see it so well received in many parts of the world including here in Japan. We are grateful to all those who have brought respect to the name of Ireland and curiosity about our country and our heritage. We are ambitious for a world characterised by peace and prosperity, a world of collaborative effort in the fight against poverty, disease, oppression and violence. We know the only way and the best way to secure that world is to open our hearts and minds to one another, to bridge the gaps of history and geography with friendships and partnerships, with culture and commerce. Ireland and Japan are both doing their best to promote such a world and I hope that between us we will leave a proud legacy to our children. It was St. Patrick, a foreigner in Ireland who first taught us what profound enrichment flowed from care for one another, curiosity about one another and openness to learning from one another. He would be very happy indeed to be celebrating his great feast here in the warm welcoming atmosphere of Tokyo.
Have a great evening.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir