Remarks at a Reception for the Irish Community
Buenos Aires, 12th October 2012
Señoras y Señores
Minister Costello
Don James McIntyre, Embajador de Irlanda a Chile
Miembros del Cuerpo Diplomático
Distinguidos Invitados
A chairde Gael agus cairde na hÉireann, go raibh míle maith agaibh as an fáilte fearúil inniú. Tá muid fíor-bhuíoch as an obair a dhéanann sibh ar son na hÉireann anseo i mBuenosAires agus ar fud na hAirgintíne.
Estoy encantado de estar de otra vez en Argentina. Muchas gracias a todos ustedes por su presencia aquí hoy. Gracias por la cálida bienvenida que nos han brindado a mi esposa Sabina y yo.
[I am delighted to be again in Argentina. Many thanks to all of you for your presence here today and for the warm welcome that you have given my wife Sabina and I.]
Es un verdadero placer estar hoy aquí y tener la oportunidad de conocer a tantas personas de origen irlandés que son miembros de la colectividad argentino-irlandesa. Me complace también conocer a tantos amigos de Irlanda en lo político, comercial y cultural.
[I am truly delighted to be here today and to have the opportunity to meet so many people with Irish heritage who are involved in the Argentine-Irish community. I am pleased also to meet many political, business and cultural friends of Ireland.]
This is my first visit as President of Ireland to Argentina, although not my first visit to Argentina. In 1995, as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, I joined formerPresident Mary Robinson, on a State Visit here. During that visit I met many wonderful peoplewho spoke proudly of their Irish ancestryandof their affinity with Ireland and the Irish people. It is a pleasure to meet many of you again.
I am delighted also to note the increase in contemporary connections. This morning I participated at a business breakfast attended by Irish companies and their local business partners and was very impressed by the dynamism and strength of many of our most innovative companies. I was pleased to launch this morning the Irish Business Network in Buenos Aires. This welcome initiative will support greater links between established and new enterprises. I appreciate the support and guidance to the Network that is being provided by the Argentine members of the Global Irish Network.
This morning, I had the opportunity to address an event, co-organised by La Fundación OSDE and CARI, which paid homage to the important contribution of the Irish in making Argentina the great country that it is today. Tomorrow I will be visiting the Fahy Club, the Federation of Argentine-Irish Societies and the Hurling Club and I am greatly looking forward to hearing of the pivotal role that they continue to play in the local Argentine-Irish community.
I will also be visiting the Space for Memory and Human Rights where I will unveil a plaqueto Patrick Rice from Fermoy, Co. Cork whose personal struggle for human rights played a pivotal role in the creation of an international Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
As I told President Fernandez de Kirchner when we met yesterday evening, we in Ireland are very proud of the role whichArgentine-Irish have played in creating modern Argentina.Reaching out to our global Irish family is a priority of my Presidency. I am conscious that there are very many people in this room who were not born in Ireland but, in terms of their affinity, their interest and their affections are very much linked to Ireland. To all these friends of Ireland, I thank you for your support, your solidarity and your continued efforts to assist Ireland.These efforts are greatly appreciated.
We live in challenging times. Ireland and the Irish people, like many other peoples, have been affected by the global crisis and we, like so many others, have had to face and deal with economic hardship and challenges. Yet, as Irish history, and as the history of the diasporic Irish shows us, we are a strong and resilient people, whose sense of community and commitment to our core values remains constant. Far from being overawed or defeated by circumstances, the Irish people have been addressing head-on the challenges and difficulties we face. This resilience typifies the attitude of the Irish, both at home and in the countries in which we have made our homes around the world.
When Irish immigrants first arrived to Argentina, for example, they could not speak the local language nor did theyknow the customs of the country to which they came. But they adapted quickly, became part of the local community and many achieved noteworthy success despite their unfamiliar surroundings.
For example, the Kavanagh family who came to Argentina in the19th century quickly built up a large estancia in the countryside, and their descendants went on tobuild one of Buenos Aires most famous and iconic buildings, El Edificio Kavanagh.Within walking and viewing distance from this hotel, this building, when constructed during the 1930’s,was the highest reinforced concrete structure in the world and was the tallest building in South America for some time afterwards. The fact that Argentina’s most famous building of the time was built by and named after an Irish family is a testament to the rapid assimilation and success of the Irish here.
Another famous Irish name is, of course, that of William Brown, more commonly known here as Almirante Guillermo Brown, el fundador de la Armada Argentina. It must surely have been difficult for Brown to foresee during his early years, when he faced physical and economic hardship, constant setbacks and unfortunate circumstances, that one day he would be remembered in Argentina as a national hero. This resilience remains the ethos and the modus operandi of the Irish – to work through the hard times and to come out on the other side wiser, stronger and determined to uphold our traditional values of human decency and community solidarity.
Ireland’s strength is evident in many other areas, including science and technology, arts and culture. The Irish are a creative peopleas the wonderful legacy and success of our literature music and dance shows clearly.I know that Riverdancerecently completed a very successful inaugural tour to South America and performed in Buenos Aires and Cordoba to very appreciative audiences. Very recently Buenos Aires also hosted the first ever South American Gathering of Irish dancing, with support from Culture Ireland. This successful event was hosted by local Irish dance group Celtic Argentina and included groups from a number of cities in Argentina and representatives from Brazil, Chile and Colombia.
The sublime all-island chamber orchestra, Camerata Ireland, is also currently touring in the region and I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend its performance in the Teatro Coliseolast night. I am very proud that Ireland has such high calibre cultural ambassadors who can show the world the quality, variety and innovation that Irish art and culture have to offer.
Earlier today I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with representatives of the newly established Irish Studies Programme at the Universidad del Salvador. This is the first Irish Studies Programme in Argentina and is open not just to students of the University but to the wider community. I applaud them and all others involved in the promotion of Irish studies in a number of Universities in Argentina.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you heard in the previous remarks from our Tourism Ireland colleagues, the numbers visiting Ireland continue to increase. We look forward to welcoming many more next year as people with links to Ireland across the world respond to the invitation to join The Gathering 2013, ‘El Encuentro’. I am delighted to be joined today by Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, and his colleague Barbara Wood. Niall and his team are working hard to ensure that during 2013, we will enjoy a year-long festival of Irish culture and heritage that encourages all those with links to Ireland to join us in the celebrations.
“The Gathering” (El Encuentro) será una experiencia que se verá enriquecida por la visita a Irlanda el próximo año de muchos argentinos orgullosos de sus vínculos ancestrales con Irlanda y que desean explorar esa conexión tan especial.
[‘The Gathering’ experience will be greatly enriched by the presence in Ireland next year of many from Argentina who are proud of their Irish ancestral links, and who wish to explore this special connection.]
Espero que muchos de ustedes tengan ganas de participar en “TheGathering”. Sé que Irlanda los recibirá con los brazos abiertos y, en especial, los condados de Longford y Westmeath, donde los pobladores locales están profundamente orgullosos de sus vínculos con los miles de argentino-irlandeses cuyas raíces provienen de esos mismos condados.
[I hope that many of you will feel able to get involved in ‘The Gathering’. I know that a warm welcome awaits you in Ireland, and in particular in counties such as Longford and Westmeath where the local people are extremely proud of their connection with the tens of thousands of Argentine-Irish who are descendants of those counties.]
Argentina’s great poet, Jorge Luis Borges once claimed that there was nothing in the world that was not in Ireland and we are all working hard to ensure that, in 2013, this will, literally, be the truth.
Let me conclude by thanking you again for the warmth of your welcome to this southern shore.
Míle buíochas! Muchísimas Gracias. Thank you.