REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE AT THE SAN PATRICIO MONUMENT MEXICO CITY
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE AT THE SAN PATRICIO MONUMENT MEXICO CITY
Thank you for that wonderful introduction. I am honoured to be here today, on the occasion of this, the first ever State Visit by an Irish President to Mexico, and to commemorate the pioneer Irish in Mexico, the soldiers of the San Patricio Battalion. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
Long before coming here, I had heard of the story of the “Irish soldiers of Mexico”, and it is indeed a special privilege to be able to honour their legacy today, here in San Jacinto where so many of them died, close to the site of the famous battle at Churubusco, and the church at Tlatopac where many are buried. It is very moving for myself and my delegation to see so many familiar Irish names inscribed on the plaque here, so far away from home.
The Irish had, of course, been a part of Mexican history before the San Patricios. The somewhat colourful Guillem de Lampart came here with the Viceroy of New Spain in 1640, Don Hugo (Hugh) O’Connor, was an early Governor of Texas in the eighteenth century when it was part of New Spain, and the last Viceroy of New Spain was an O’Donojue, who had as his advisor an Irish priest, Fr. Michael Muldoon.
But it was, of course, the San Patricios, who first captured the imagination and lasting affection of the Mexican people.
The bond the San Patricios created, as I have seen during the course of my visit and again by the presence of so many here today, continues to flourish. Wherever I have travelled in the world as President of Ireland, I have been moved by the remarkable commitment of the Irish to their adopted lands. Rarely, however, has a country taken the Irish to their hearts and honoured that commitment and service as warmly as you have in Mexico. To all of you, I offer our sincere thanks.
The legacy of the Battalion today is also, of course, due to the many Irish and their friends who have kept the tradition alive down the years. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you over the last few days, and I am delighted to see so many of you with us here again today.
I know you will forgive me if I do not mention all of you by name, but I would like to pay a particular tribute to Patricia Cox, whose book-the first story ever written about the San Patricios- the “Battalon de San Patricios” was first published in 1954.
Our countries have undergone many changes in the years since the San Patricio Battalion fought and died here. While the bond they forged was born of tragic circumstances, today we are fortunate that we can build on the goodwill they first established by developing the relations between us in new areas, and in an atmosphere of optimism, where opportunities outweigh challenges.
We in Ireland are committed today, in the same spirit as the San Patricios over 150 years ago, to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. It is heartening as we look to the future, to see their great contribution continues to be honoured in such a warm way. It is evidence, if any was needed, that such an enormous debt has not been forgotten, and that the message of their lives and deaths remains relevant today.
May they rest in peace
Thank you