SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE ICCUSA - CELTIC BALL
SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE ICCUSA - CELTIC BALL, NEW YORK
Dia dhíbh a cháirde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh um tráthnóna ar an ócáid speisialta seo.
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in the United States, it gives me great pleasure to be with you this evening on the occasion of this prestigious Celtic Ball. Thank you for inviting me to be with you and for the very warm welcome.
I am of course a year late. In the cruel wake of 9/11 I was unable to attend last year’s Ball, which thanks to all of you, became a hugely successful fundraiser for the many victims of that infamous day when hatred changed the history but not the heart of this great city. In Ireland we too were convulsed by the same pain and grief that engulfed this nation for there is no place on earth so intimately connected to us, so much part of us as the United States of America. The litany of Irish names among the dead particularly among the Fire officers and police officers here in New York spoke softly but movingly of that centuries old mesh that holds us together as family and as friends.
We took pride in the tidal wave of selflessness and courage that was their instant response to the evil visited upon them. We took great hope from the resilience, dignity and fortitude of the American people, which allowed them to keep on living, working and planning for the future even though their hearts were heavy and in many cases, broken beyond repair. In uncertain times like these we are grateful for organisations like ICCUSA and acknowledge our need of them all the more, for your work helps us to believe in the future as a place of opportunity and prosperity, a place we must keep on working relentlessly to get to.
Throughout its fourteen-year history, ICCUSA has made a huge contribution towards the strengthening of economic ties between the island of Ireland and the United States. The alliance between ICCUSA and Chambers of Commerce operating both North and South of the border have been crucial to Ireland’s prosperity for through it, a remarkable international resource has been made available to those pursuing business and economic links between Ireland and the US. Those links have helped transform Ireland’s economic landscape, bringing a new language of success and self-confidence which you can rightly take pride in being part of. Nowhere is Ireland’s dynamic new can-do spirit more evident than in the massive all-island endeavour that will bring the Special Olympics to Ireland in June 2003, the first time they have ever been held outside of the United States. Tonight, ICCUSA is honouring the Special Olympics, that showcase of the courage and sporting excellence of our special brothers and sisters and showcase too of those virtues of loving care, which restore our faith in the human condition.
Ireland is thrilled to have the privilege of hosting the Special Olympics and on my daily travels throughout the country I see signs in every town and village proclaiming their role in what will be a huge voluntary community effort. Many, many people are already giving their time, money, energy and talent to ensuring the Special Olympics in Ireland will be the best, the most memorable, the happiest ever. That ICCUSA is among that army of supporters comes as no surprise for among the distinguished guests here tonight is a man who not only was instrumental in setting up ICCUSA but who is, though he is very reluctant to have it remarked upon, the single biggest private benefactor of the 2003 Special Olympics. Dr Michael Smurfit’s legendary business success is matched by a deeply private but heartfelt, caring philanthropy, which quietly, effectively and sensitively changes peoples lives. When we contemplate the miraculous, ever self-replenishing mountain of goodness on which the Special Olympics are built and without which they would never sustain, Michael Smurfit’s personal melding of the hard edged world of the boardroom and the soft-centred world of practical, meaningful care for our special brothers and sisters gives a leadership second to none. I know his faith in Ireland and your faith in Ireland will be wonderfully vindicated in June 2003.
No doubt Dr. Smurfit would be the first and indeed the best qualified to speak of the multi-faceted benefits which American investment in Ireland and Irish investment in America have brought in both directions. It may be hard to credit, yet it is true that about two-thirds as many jobs have been created by Irish companies in the US as there are Irish jobs supported by US companies in Ireland. An emigrant people have come a very long way on both sides of the Atlantic and each has helped the other on that great human journey towards peace, prosperity, equality and justice.
Today a prosperous Ireland exports some 17% of its merchandise to the United States, our most important market outside the European Union. Total trade between our two countries exceeds 24 billion euro and it accounts for 5% of the total trade between the European Union and the US. A phenomenal story isn’t it, for a small island with a third world memory so recent that many of us can scarcely believe how rapidly our potential revealed itself and scripted a new destiny for Ireland as one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
That script tells of external investment in Ireland increasing threefold between 1998 and 2000 from just under 8 billion to over 26 billion euro. It tells of an end to the long weary years of double-digit unemployment. Unemployment averaged under 4% last year and of course many of our emigrant sons and daughters have returned home in recent years as Ireland came to be seen as a land of fresh opportunities. For the first time in 150 years the tide of outward emigration was reversed and Ireland came to be recognized as a leader in the field of Information Technology and the world’s leading exporter of computer software. A country, which missed the first industrial revolution by a mile, has become a mainstream player in the second industrial revolution.
There has, of course been a marked fall-off in foreign direct investment worldwide in the past eighteen months and global economic trends carry new strains and stresses, which make the business and commercial environment much more challenging than before. Yet the stockpile of recent achievements allows us to imagine ourselves differently and to believe in our ability to transcend these tougher times. We have learnt a lot about being competitive, about creating a friendly, stable and accessible commercial environment, about the importance of short lines of communication, avoidance of bureaucracy, low corporation tax, predictable wage expectations, a flexible educated, science and technology literate workforce, a research and knowledge oriented culture, all the things which attract and keep attracting international business to Ireland - we have learnt and learnt well.
The fact that a new harmonised corporation tax rate of 12.5% will apply from January next year will, I believe, focus renewed attention on Ireland as a profitable location in which to invest in the EU market and of course there is the added attraction that Ireland is the only English speaking country inside the Euro zone.
In all our endeavours to establish and secure a vibrant economy, Ireland has been fortunate to have the most loyal of friends. I wish to place on record this evening, Ireland’s profound thanks for the unstinting support from her many friends in American business, in Congress, in the administration, and among the millions of valued members of our global Irish family here in the United States. There was a time not so long ago when Irish homes were helped to survive by hard-earned dollars faithfully put in weekly envelopes. Their investment has paid off well for today a new generation in Ireland knows its own strength, has faith in its own genius and is on the way to revealing our country’s fullest potential for the first time in our history. You have helped us on the journey thus far and I know you will be our companions on the journey ahead.
Beyond the world of economics too, your care for us helped to bring a new era of peace to Northern Ireland. These past years for all their ups and downs, have been nothing short of miraculous but as we say in Ireland, ‘Blessed be the Peacemakers for they will never be made redundant’. I ask your continuing prayers and support during this fraught time for the Peace Process, a time when disillusionment needs to be countered by a profound rearticulation of the deep-rooted and shared desire for peace which lies in most human hearts.
Having asked for your prayers now I have to ask for your forgiveness as one of those who cheered mightily when a certain Irish eleven foot putt sank American Ryder Cup hopes at the Belfry recently. The next rematch in Europe takes place of course in Ireland at the K Club in 2006 and while it is unlikely that I will have acquired neutral status on the outcome by then, nonetheless I know that just as with the Special Olympics, the hospitality will be unforgettable and there will be a welcoming Irish embrace as warm as the welcome you have given to Martin and I tonight in New York- for which many, many thanks.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.