REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE BANQUET HOSTED BY MINISTER-PRESIDENT OF BAVARIA
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE BANQUET HOSTED BY MINISTER-PRESIDENT OF BAVARIA DR. GUENTER BECKSTEIN MUNICH TUESDAY 26 FEB
Herr Ministerpräsident, (Frau Beckstein), meine Damen und Herren,
Mein Mann und ich freuen uns sehr, hier in der bayerischen Hauptstadt München zu sein und diesen wunderbaren Abend mit Ihnen in der Residenz erleben zu dürfen. Jetzt, wo ich in Bayern bin, darf ich vielleicht ein herzliches „Grüß Gott“ sagen!*
I thank Minister-President Beckstein and Frau Beckstein for their warm welcome this evening to Bavaria’s beautiful capital city of Munich, and to this superb Hall of Antiquities.
The Irish and Bavarian temperaments are famously similar. This is perhaps why Bavaria holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the Irish people and why Munich has the largest population of Irish expatriates in Germany. From the warmth of the welcome that we have received since arriving, I can see why so many Irish people are happy and proud to call this city, and the Free State of Bavaria, their home.
There are also, of course, long-standing historical reasons behind our friendship. I look forward to visiting the city of Würzburg tomorrow, which is intimately linked with the Irish Saint Killian and his two companions Totnan and Colman. While many Irish religious travelled to this part of Europe in the early Middle Ages, the story of St Killian is inspiring and tragic. Though he was martyred in 689, his name lives on in Germany to this day, not least in the names of generations of children. Würzburg today maintains strong and active links with its Irish heritage, whether through its participation in initiatives such as the development and management of the St Killian’s Heritage Centre in Co. Cavan or its twinning with Bray and Co. Wicklow. I am particularly pleased, therefore, to be accompanied this evening by our Minister for European Affairs, Dick Roche, whose hometown is Bray.
Ireland may have sent its saints and scholars to Bavaria in the Middle Ages but there was traffic in the other direction too for it was a Franconian academic, Johann Casper Zeuss, whose research paved the way for the development of modern Irish-language studies. Zeuss is said to have been spurred in his research having seen the Irish language annotations in early medieval Irish manuscripts in Würzburg’s libraries. I look forward very much to following in his footsteps tomorrow.
Zeuss and other German scholars like Kuno Meyer provided the academic backbone to a major literary and cultural resurgence focussed on the Irish language in the later nineteenth century. German academics still play a critical role today in the field of Celtic Studies, as when they hosted the International Celtic Congress in Bonn last year. The Celtic cultural renaissance to which German scholars made such a profound contribution led indirectly to a new, national consciousness which found expression ultimately in our political independence.
Not all Irish visitors to Bavaria, I am sorry to say, have been as warmly welcomed as I. In the twelfth century, the holy Makarius (a Latin version of McCarthy) shattered a national stereotype with a commendable, if somewhat unpopular miracle, of turning local wine into water. Although his marketing skills left something to be desired, he avoided martyrdom. More recently, the political interference of the Irish-born Lola Montez led to the abdication of King Ludwig I right here in 1848. Happily for us her name generally disguises her Irish antecedents and points the blame farther south!
Today Munich is pretty much the “Irish capital of Germany”. Our people are attracted by the famous Bavarian friendliness, openness and hospitality. But there are also strongly practical reasons, in particular the region’s economic strength and the variety of business opportunities which are available here. The affection you feel for your Irish community is seen in the wonderful St Patrick’s Day parade, one of the largest in Europe. I am told that this event draws some 35,000 people out on the streets of Munich, all dressed in green and celebrating St Patrick, and naturally enjoying a glass of water in honour of Makarius!
In recent years Bavaria and Ireland have shown that they share a great deal in common in the economic sphere. Both are regional centres for high-technology ventures and research, while maintaining and indeed strengthening their more traditional, agricultural, economic base. We are delighted that so many German companies have demonstrated their faith in Ireland by investing there. Our shared future is built on a solid platform and through this visit we strengthen the human ties of respectful friendship and generous solidarity on which so much that is good in the world relies.
Dr Beckstein, let me thank you once more for your hospitality, as we look forward to many more years of close friendship and cooperation between our states and peoples.
[My husband and I are very pleased to be here in the Bavarian capital of Munich and to be able to experience this wonderful evening with you in the Residence. Now that I am here in Munich I could perhaps say a hearty “Grüß Gott” (a local Bavarian salutation).]