REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS OF IRELAND PENANG
Dia dhaoibh a cháirde. Tá an-áthas bheith i bhur measc inniu sa tír álainn seo.
Honourable Chief Minister, Ministers, Distinguished Guests, Members of the Irish Community in Penang.
It is a great pleasure for me to visit this fabled “Pearl of the Orient” and long-favoured destination of travellers and traders. May I begin by thanking the Governor of Penang, Tun Dato Seri Dr Haji Hamdan, and the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, for the warmth of the welcome extended to both my husband, Martin and I and for hosting our regrettably all-too-brief sojourn on this beautiful island.
I am delighted to have the opportunity of meeting with members of the Irish community and with various friends of Ireland here in the historic centre of Georgetown. This cosmopolitan island, where diverse cultures successfullyco-exist and complement each other, must indeed be a fascinating place in which to live and work. I am not surprised to find such an impressive Irish presence here. Suffice to say that we are an emigrant people, having been one for generations and so we know from experience that the chances are we are not the first Irish to discover this paradise or to contribute to its history.
It is not so surprising then to find that it was an Irish seaman, Captain Robert Halpin, whose ship laid the first cable from Penang to Singapore, inaugurating the era of telegraphic communications in this part of the world. More recent advances in communications have connected Ireland and Penang as kindred societies in the new information age in which remoteness from each other both geographic and cultural is transcended in ways Captain Halpin would I’m sure never have imagined.
In recent times, a series of Irish Ministerial visits and trade delegations have placed Penang on the map for a range of Irish businesses, as did the Chief Minister’s visit to Ireland with a trade delegation in 1997. These exchanges have forged a special relationship between us, born out of shared experience of inward investment and technology-intensive industrial development. We both want the best for our countries and we know that successful partnerships forged across the globe are crucial to the futures of both our peoples. Those partnerships do not happen by accident. They are built and developed by our own ingenuity, by our willingness to invest in relationship building at many different levels.
Recently, we reverted to that old nautical Irish link when one of our naval vessels the L.E. NIAMH visited on an historic first voyage to Asia by an Irish naval vessel - a voyage dedicated to promoting economic and cultural links between our two distant parts of the world. I am sure that the Irish in Penang took pride in the vessel’s presence in Georgetown, as indeed I did in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces on the day I saw her off.
Earlier today I had the pleasure of visiting what is undoubtedly one of the most visible and prestigious symbols of the growing relationships between our peoples - Penang Medical College. The College, dedicated to the achievement of the highest standards of medical education, carries forward a long educational association between our two countries. Indeed many Irish members of teaching orders served with great energy and enthusiasm and dedication in schools such as Light Street Convent and St. Xavier’s Institution, whose second Director, Brother Gregory Connolly, was a native of County Derry. I congratulate the Light Street Convent on its 150th anniversary this year, and acknowledge with pride the achievements and indeed the personal sacrifices made by so many Irish sisters who taught there over the years.
Ireland and Penang have much in common in economic terms. We are both open, export-oriented economies, specialising in Information and Communication Technologies and other high-technology industries. Indeed, we can both claim to be Silicon Islands.
Ireland has long been an outward-looking nation enjoying huge familial connections with communities of Irish descent throughout the world. Economic success has put an end to mass emigration, thankfully the tide has turned but we remain deeply indebted to our global family for the way in which they project a positive image of Ireland, for their fidelity to our culture and their interest in Ireland’s well-being. As our economy expands and matures, we are looking to create a broader network of ties throughout Asia, and to promote greater awareness of Ireland in this region. The Irish community in Penang has an important role to play in this regard for it is you who bring a flavour of Ireland to Penang – it is you who show what we are like as a people, as colleagues, as business partners, as spouses, as friends. In everything you do here, you are effective ambassadors for Ireland and we are grateful for all that you do to ensure that wherever the word Ireland is said it evokes a sense of warmth, generosity and respectful curiosity. Some of you may return to Ireland please God some day enriched by your experience in Penang and the friendships you have made here. In Ireland, you will in effect become ambassadors for Penang just as many natives of this lovely place who have lived in Ireland have opened a window on Penang for the Irish people. It is people who stitch together the tapestry that is the common human family and it is people who make it strong. It is reassuring to know that between Ireland and Penang there is already a rich and robust tapestry of shared memories, shared successes, shared endeavour – enough to build a shared future to be proud of.
As this is the final public engagement of my visit to Malaysia, I wish to say a sincere, heartfelt thank you to the Government and people of this marvellous country for the generous and genuine welcome that has been shown to us, the wonderful hospitality that we have encountered everywhere.
I have had an opportunity to appreciate and admire the racial, religious and linguistic diversity of Malaysia and the impressive way in which this mix combines into a united, peaceful and increasingly prosperous nation. In a world fractured by so much unresolved division and conflict, you send a message of comfort that there is a better way and the human family is capable of achieving it. It has been a most enjoyable and rewarding experience, which I trust will help pave the way for a further strengthening of the already excellent relations between our two countries and our peoples.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.