REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH COMMUNITY UNITED IRISH CULTURAL CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH COMMUNITY UNITED IRISH CULTURAL CENTRE TUESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER, 1999
A Mhéara de Brún (Brown) agus a chairde,
Cuireann sé ríméad ar mo chroí a bheith anseo libh tráthnóna in Ionad Cultúrtha Uile-Éireann. Ba mhaith liom míle buíochas a ghabháil le Bord Stiúrtha an Ionaid agus leis an Uachtarán Diarmuid Philpott a cheadaigh agus a d’eagraigh an tionól seo. Ba mhaith liom fosta mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibhse, a chairde, as fáilte chomh croiúil agus chomh fíor-Ghaelach a chur romhann.
Mayor Brown, distinguished guests.
It is a great pleasure to be with you here this evening, in St. Patrick’s Hall of the United Irish Cultural Centre.
I want to thank the Board of Directors of the United Irish Cultural Centre, and its President Diarmuid Philpott, for facilitating this gathering here this evening and for his kind welcome on behalf of the Centre. It was important to me that I should have the opportunity to meet as many members of the Irish community as possible right here in this Centre, built through the efforts of the men and women of the Irish community. The United Irish Cultural Centre is a living monument to the generations of Irishmen and Irishwomen who have made their way and lived their lives in the Bay Area, proud of their heritage and traditions, and keen to share them and pass them on to succeeding generations.
Thank you also to Hugh Duggan, President of the United Irish Societies, for his presentation and welcome. I also want to thank Mayor Brown for his official welcome to San Francisco, and for the key to the City. Of all the cities in the world, the key to San Francisco is one I particularly cherish. This is a city in which the Irish have made their contribution and their mark - one of the many immigrant strands that give San Francisco and the Bay Area its wonderful unique character. That on its own would be enough to make me very proud to be here but there is another reason. Twenty-eight years ago a very young gauche Irish law student came to this city full of curiosity about the world, about the future. I came to escape for a summer from Northern Ireland’s famous/infamous marching season, a time when people grow fearful and feel their sense of belonging to be under threat. I came to this strange city 10,000 miles from home. It welcomed me, smiled, laughed, made me feel at home. Here I met not just Irish, Italian, Greeks, Afro-Americans, Homosexual, Hetrosexual, Mormons, Jews – a world where difference was celebrated, where diversity worked and worked well. I learnt a lot here!
That law student is now President of Ireland who has much to celebrate and much to be thankful for. The phenomenal success of the Irish economy over the last decade, the growth in employment and opportunity, and our success in attracting investment, particularly in the high technology sector, have produced a new sense of confidence and achievement. We are truly and at long last coming into our own and it is wonderful to see.
Our economic growth has been parallelled by a flowering of artistic and cultural achievement - Irish music and dance, film and literature, enjoy a growing international reputation and audience.
These developments alone would make Ireland an exciting and hopeful place to be, but we are most blessed to be enjoying them at a time when we also have the greatest opportunity that we have ever known to bring about a just and lasting peace.
The Good Friday Agreement undoubtedly marks an historic breakthrough in the history of our country, holding out, as it does, the prospect of a future where the people of Ireland can overcome the tragic divisions of our past and dedicate ourselves to building a future together based on partnership, equality, reconciliation and tolerance. It was a remarkable achievement and, rightly, it brought with it great joy and hope.
And while considerable progress has been made in many areas, securing its full implementation was always going to be a slow and difficult task. Inevitably, perhaps, there have been difficulties and disappointments along the way. We have not yet reached a position where the political parties in Northern Ireland have sufficient trust and confidence in each other to see the institutions provided for under the Agreement come into being.
I am, however, neither despairing nor despondent. I remain fully convinced that the people of Ireland want the Agreement to succeed. They have overwhelmingly endorsed all that it has to offer them and, most of all, they recognise that the compromise and accommodation it entails are necessary if we are to see the new society we all dream of come into being.
As we meet, our politicians are working very hard to reach agreement on a way in which all can take the Agreement forward together. In their endeavours they are most fortunate to have the skill, wisdom and judgement of Senator George Mitchell to assist them once again. I know that you will join me in wishing them every success.
Through all of the ups and downs of the peace process we have greatly appreciated the enormous support, encouragement and love which we have received from all the friends of Ireland here in the United States. From President Bill Clinton, who could not have done more to help, to Senator Mitchell, without whom the Agreement would not have been reached, to the extended Irish family here who have helped in ways too numerous to mention - your continued commitment to the cause of peace and justice in Ireland has, and will continue to sustain us in our difficult journey. War and conflict are appalling wasteful distractions from the already awesome challenges everyday life casts in our path. We look forward to a day, and soon, when our undivided attention can be focussed on the needs and rights of the poor, the handicapped, the sick, those who bear an intolerable burden of care - so that they have real hope in the future.
In conclusion, I want to say a few words of thanks and appreciation to you, the Irish community in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The immigrant path has never been an easy one, yet Ireland has always drawn strength and encouragement from the example you set. We have seen with pride the way in which Irish communities here in the US, in Britain, in Australia and Canada, have contributed to the building of their adopted countries. From the beginning, wherever they went, Irish emigrants rose to the top in politics, business and commerce, the professions and academia. There is no doubt that the creativity and buzz and confidence of the new Ireland reflects the struggles, achievements and pride of the emigrant Irish. As we are now in an era where the Irish at home have begun to reach their full potential, I want tonight to salute the Irish emigrants, the global Irish family, who proved that given the opportunity we could achieve great things.
Ag an staid seo i stair na hÉireann, agus na Gaeil sa bhaile ag teacht i dtír ar a gcumas agus ar a gcuid achmhainní féin, ba mhaith liom tréaslú leis na Gaeil thar lear agus le teaghlach domhanda na nGael a thug an eiseamláir dúinn. Is sibhse a chuidigh linn fios ár mbealaigh a aimsiú sa domhan nua-aoiseach seo.
Thank You