address by president of ireland, mary mc aleese, at the reception hosted by the premier of tasmania
address by president of ireland, mary mc aleese, at the reception hosted by the premier of tasmania
Premier and Mrs. Rundle, Leader of the Opposition, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to be here this evening. I would like at the outset to thank the Premier for his kind and gracious words of welcome, and to thank each and every one of you for being here.
Although I have been here in Tasmania only a very short time, I have already been able to see and appreciate something of the spectacular natural beauty, and to experience the genuine warmth and hospitality, which make this island unique. It is often said that Australia is the most Irish country outside of Ireland - it might equally be said that, in its appearance and in its character, Tasmania is the most Irish place in Australia.
None of this should surprise us. The Irish have, after all, been a part of life in Tasmania since the very earliest days of European settlement. Indeed, as we stand here this evening, we are mindful of the fact that this year is the 200th Anniversary of the Great Irish Rebellion of 1798, an event which led to the first major transportation of Irish political prisoners to Australia, and that it was one of those transportees, James Meehan, who was responsible for laying out the city of Hobart, in the early years of the nineteenth century. Meehan had taken part in the rebellion in his native Wexford in 1798, and was sentenced in its immediate aftermath to fourteen years transportation to New South Wales. Although he had no formal education, Meehan was determined to work hard in his new land, and his natural talent soon brought him to a position of prominence in the Surveyor General’s Office in the new Australian colonies.
Meehan’s story is not untypical, and it is just one example of the enormous contribution, which has been made by Irish migrants, both voluntary and involuntary, to the development of Australian society, to the building of this nation.
Port Arthur Penal Colony, which I visited earlier today, occupies a very special place in the story of the links between Ireland and Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s Land, as it was known in the days when that prison was operating. The story of the Irish convicts who passed through Tasmania is, of course, an integral part of the history of this State. Notable amongst them were the leaders of the Young Ireland Movement, transported here for their part in the 1848 Uprising in Ireland, the 150th Anniversary of which we mark this year. I was very proud during my visit to Port Arthur to unveil a special commemorative plaque at the cottage of one of those leaders, William Smith O’Brien.
But Ireland and Tasmania have even more in common than this shared history and heritage. The stories of our two islands mirror each other in many other and more contemporary ways. In both cases we have had to overcome the unique challenges which are posed by our geographical positions, as small islands, dwarfed by our neighbours. We have both grown as societies on the basis of our agricultural sectors, and had to learn to adapt our social and economic directions when new global realities have affected international markets for our products and dictated changes in our traditional rural lifestyles. Tasmania, like Ireland, has been quick to realise the importance of tourism as an industry and a source of employment and, also like Ireland, has had to strive hard to find the balance between modernising transport, communications and industrial infrastructures, and preserving the environment and the unspoiled nature of the scenic beauty on which this tourism is dependant. Again like Ireland, as we move towards the new Millennium, you are having to adapt your economy to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Ireland today is emerging from an economic and social transition, which has been necessary but often painful. The overnight success of the “Celtic Tiger” has been a long time coming, and has not been without difficulty. But we are now beginning to reap the rewards of that challenging period of transition. The Irish economy is experiencing growth rates in excess of those of the EU and OECD averages and this trend is set to continue. New sectors, particularly in the services and IT areas, are making a crucial contribution to this success. More jobs are being created now in Ireland than ever before in the history of the State. Most importantly, we are seeing a reversal at last of Ireland’s infamous migration trend, and more young people are returning to take up jobs in Ireland than are leaving to seek work abroad. The courage, creativity, adaptability and energy of our people is once again beginning to shine through. These changes in today’s Ireland, like all of the major periods of change down through Irish history, do not come exclusively from within our small island, but are linked to the experience of the Irish Diaspora - the global Irish family - and are infused with the experience from every corner of the earth where those Irish have found a home, including, of course, Tasmania. The way that umbilical cord between Irish emigrants and their mother country is maintained was wonderfully illustrated in a story which I heard just before I came here about one such migrant, James Crotty, from Clare, who found himself in Tasmania towards the end of the last Century, and was lucky enough to discover gold on the island. When he was registering his claim, he is reported to have said “I’ll be that rich I’ll be able to buy Ireland and give it to Parnell”
The links continue today, and I know that here amongst this gathering tonight are leaders and members of the Irish Association of Tasmania, which plays an important role in keeping alive the memory and the legacy of James Meehan, and William Smith O’Brien, and James Crotty, and so many others, and which promotes our culture, our heritage, our language and our genius, and which provides a structure which contributes to making Tasmania what it truly is for an Irish person - a home away from home. To illustrate again the inseparability of the past and the present, I might mention the fact that this Association was the first Irish Association in Australia to go “on line” with a Home Page on the World Wide Web. I would also like to pay a special tribute to Professor Richard Davis and his colleagues at the University of Tasmania, who continue to play an important role in researching and interpreting many aspects of the history of Irish-Australia. I know that Professor Davis is preparing a very significant Conference to mark the 150th Anniversary of the 1848 Irish Rebellion and its impacts on Tasmania, and I wish him every success with that important venture.
Premier,
Before concluding, I would like to mention the historic and positive developments in relation to Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement provided for a new beginning in the relationships within Northern Ireland, between North and South on the island of Ireland, and between Britain and Ireland. An interlocking package, it is fair, balanced and comprehensive. On 22 May, the people of the entire island of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to endorse its terms. In the Assembly Elections on 25 June, the people of Northern Ireland voted in favour of the parties who supported the Agreement.
The Agreement provides a framework and a structure for consigning division and conflict to the past and building a new future based on partnership and mutual respect. This year, when both Australia and Ireland celebrate the bicentenary of 1798, which had as its ambition common purpose within diversity, we in Ireland have the opportunity of beginning a new millennium on a basis of optimism and hope unprecedented in history. No act of atrocity, no matter how savage and no matter how much we are sunk in grief for the victims, will deflect us from this purpose. We have had very dark days both before and after the Good Friday Agreement. The culture of conflict is in its final death throes. The culture of consensus is being painfully and slowly built.
It has always been important for us to know that we have had the support of our friends in Australia and elsewhere in our efforts to achieve an enduring settlement to the tragedy of Northern Ireland. We appreciate the contribution of Australia, both through the dedicated work of Australia’s former Governor General, Sir Ninian Stephen, in advancing an important phase of the discussions in the early years of this decade, and through its continuing contribution to the International Fund for Ireland.
My husband Martin, and all of the members of the Irish delegation join me in thanking you for your warm hospitality this evening, and for providing this special opportunity to meet with so many prominent Tasmanians, friends of Tasmania and friends of Ireland. Let me say to you that while Tasmania might be more famous for its Devils, there can be no doubt that these are far out-numbered by its Saints and Scholars.
Thank you.