REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE, AT THE MAYOR’S GALA, HOUSTON FRIDAY, 20 APRIL, 2001
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE, AT THE MAYOR’S GALA, HOUSTON FRIDAY, 20 APRIL, 2001
Mayor Brown,
Mr Ferguson,
Distinguished Members of the City Council
Distinguished Members of the Consular Corps
Ladies and Gentlemen
This is a night for celebration - of Houston and of Ireland, and of this wonderful festival which has brought the two together in such a memorable fashion.
The past few days have given me the opportunity, Mr Mayor, to appreciate the enormous vitality of this city - a city proud of its Texan heritage, of its diversity, and its openness. I have met with members of your dynamic business sector, some of whom are already doing business in Ireland. I am glad to see many of their faces here again this evening. The intricate web which links Ireland to Texas and Texas to Ireland has stories to tell from the past and the present.
Texans are enormously proud of their state’s history and many Irish people are to be found in the unpacking of that history - so much so, that we too can say that the Irish are proud of our role in Texas. Before independence, the Irish had set up communities near here - at Refugio and San Patricio de Hibernia – the latter a name which makes its Irish credentials doubly clear - just in case there should be any ambiguity. Never a people to turn down the chance of joining an freedom movement – it comes as no surprise to hear that the Irish were prominent in the Texan struggle for nationhood and that their names are inscribed on the walls of the Alamo. Sam Houston’s parents were from Ireland, many of his comrades were Irish, and even the battle itself was fought on land owned by an Irish family. Now that has a very familiar ring to it!
Since then, many Irish people have found a home in Texas, and I have been delighted to meet many of Houston’s vibrant Irish community during my visit. In the past, hundreds of thousands of our Irish family came to this country fleeing hunger and hardship with the result that, today, over 44 million Americans claim some degree of Irish ancestry. We derive the greatest satisfaction not alone from their achievements, but also from their contributions to this great state and to the United States as a whole. They have also in their fidelity to Irish culture brought our music, our dance, our literature, language, poetry to the heart of American life. They have not only kept it alive but in exposing it to so many rich and challenging influences they have deepened the well we draw from and given back to Ireland the wonderful gift of a culture strengthened, broadened, reshaped and refreshed.
It has often been said that Ireland’s loss was America’s gain. But the days of involuntary emigration from Ireland are now, hopefully, a thing of the past. In recent years our economy has been transformed. We have achieved record rates of growth and unemployment is at its lowest ever level. Productivity and competitiveness have grown enormously at the same time as the national debt and the tax burden have fallen. Our economy today is dynamic and outward-looking; we are a trading nation and the United States is now our biggest trading partner.
Today over 500 U.S. firms, including some valued partners from Texas, are doing business in Ireland. They are the leading-edge of corporate America, taking full advantage of the opportunities that Ireland has to offer - a favourable tax regime, access to the European Union, which is a market of some 300 million consumers and, most importantly, our talented and well-educated workforce.
In Northern Ireland, Mr Mayor, we have seen the most dramatic developments in recent years. The historic Good Friday Agreement between the Northern political parties and the Irish and British Governments was approved overwhelmingly by the people of Ireland, North and South, in simultaneous referenda in May 1998. The Agreement has transformed the political landscape of Northern Ireland, and for the first time in our history we have the opportunity to build a just and lasting peace on our island.
The Northern Ireland Executive, established under the Agreement, brings together for the first time the representatives of opposing political traditions to work together to build a better Northern Ireland for all. It was Yeats who created the image of ‘bees building in the crevices of loosening masonry’ and that seems an apt image for this extraordinary adventure in consensus based democracy that we have embarked on. Each step, while small in itself, is helping to dismantle the old walls of mistrust, to loosen the masonry of hatred a little more, and to insert in its place the building blocks of a new beginning. That fresh start is proving day in and day out that there is an alternative to violence, that justice, equality and full civic participation will be the inheritance of the next generation instead of the injustice and violence which contaminated the past.
We would not have accomplished so much in Northern Ireland without the generous assistance of the United States. America’s sense of can-do optimism, its role as facilitator and guarantor of good faith has been crucial to the success of the peace process thus far.
Work remains to be done to finally secure peace in the long-term, but we can and will persevere. We owe it to our children to ensure for them an environment free of fear and hatred. I know that with continuing good-will and commitment, and the support of our friends, particularly here in the United States, that we will succeed.
This year, Mr Mayor, the Houston International Festival spotlights Ireland. I am delighted to be here with you on this happy occasion. We are intensely proud of our cultural achievements and are honoured at the opportunity to display some of them here.
The Festival epitomizes the open and outward-looking character of this vibrant city. It celebrates diversity, it looks to the future while honouring our shared heritage. Most importantly, it celebrates children. This morning I visited Lantrip Elementary School, where the children, like many thousands of others in this area, are learning about Ireland. At Lantrip, as elsewhere, I have been deeply moved by the warmth of the children’s reception, and by the tolerance and respect which they demonstrate for each other.
In Ireland also we have a long tradition of warmth to visitors. I would like to assure you that this traditional Irish welcome and hospitality has not been affected by the recent outbreak in Britain of Foot and Mouth Disease, (or Hoof and Mouth as it is known here). So far, Ireland has remained largely free of Foot and Mouth, with just a single case having occurred in the Republic. The fact that the Republic has largely escaped the disease is due to early and wide ranging precautionary measures put in place by the Irish authorities to protect our valuable agricultural industry. It is also due to the remarkable solidarity that the Irish people, urban and rural alike, have shown in the face of this threat.
Foot and Mouth is, of course, an animal health issue and has no implications for human health or food safety. I can assure you that when you come to Ireland, you will be able to enjoy the full range of Irish cuisine to match the warmth of the welcome. We have even postponed the St. Patrick’s Day festivities until May, so that our American friends can celebrate with us!
Thank you once again, Mr Mayor, for this wonderful celebration of friendship between our two countries.