REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE AT THE IRELAND-SPAIN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE AT THE IRELAND-SPAIN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION ON FRIDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER, 1998.
Presidente Hyland, señoras y señores,
Les agradezco enormente su amabilidad al invitorme al cena anual de este asociacíon – una asociacíon dedicada al desarrotto de las relaciones economicas entre Irlanda y España.
The Ireland-Spain Economic Association upholds the proud and ancient tradition of trade between Ireland and Spain, going back to pre-historic times. However, the relationship between our two countries has been more than one just based on trade. Business has been facilitated by a multiplicity of shared experiences, a friendship between our two nations whose origin predates official history.
We both share a Celtic heritage. Galicia, as might be inferred from its names, is the most Gaelic or Celtic part of the Iberian peninsula. There is a wistfulness and greenness, not to mention dampness, to that landscape that we in Ireland also experience – particularly this summer! The tradition remains in Galicia that the first Celts to go to Ireland left from Spain – hence perhaps the reason why the Spanish writer, Salvador de Madriaga, could be of the view the Irish were Spaniards who had been stranded by mistake in the north of Europe.
There is no shortage of evidence for links between Ireland and Spain. Irish poetry celebrates Spanish wine; even Ulysses, that great novel of Dublin, ends under a Moorish wall in Spain. Clare has its ‘Spanish point’ and Galway its ‘Spanish Arch’. In 1597 a Spanish captain reported to Phillip II that many of the inhabitants of Galway and other western ports spoke Spanish, so frequent was their contact with trading vessels from Spain. During the same century Irish consuls were appointed to many of Spain’s northern ports.
It was the same Phillip II who recognised the strategic value of Ireland in his war with England and gave assistance to the Irish leadership in the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. As we all know, this venture ended in a failure which signalled the final eclipse of Gaelic Ireland. In 1607, as a direct result of this defeat, the Gaelic nobility of Ireland fled to Catholic Europe, many to Spain. In Spain these refugees – called Hermanicos – were made welcome - and a special Royal commissioner was appointed to look after their interests.
Tourism between the two countries has a long history too, with Spanish pilgrims recorded as visiting Ireland in 1397, while frequent Irish pilgrims made the journey to Santiago de Compostela as early as the 14th and 15th centuries. That tradition continues today.
We are reminded of it each summer when we hear the radio advertisements in Spanish and notice our streets full of young children here to learn English. Recalling the links between our peoples, I think of the Spanish victims of the Omagh bombing, those who died and those who were injured. Like everyone else in Ireland and abroad, I was shocked and saddened by the terrible loss of life and injuries in Omagh. The dignified response of the bereaved Spanish families humbles us all and gives us hope for the future. I was glad to have been able to attend the funerals in Donegal, where I was deeply impressed by the spirit of understanding and goodwill amongst the Spanish students I was particularly struck by the words of Manuel Blasco, whose twelve year old son was killed in bombing, who said that he and his wife would continue to send their children to Ireland, and who spoke of the support which his family had received during an awful time in their lives.
Just as most Irish people see Spain as a friendly enjoyable place to relax on holidays, more and more Spanish people are getting to know Ireland each year as a holiday destination with its own unique attractions. Ireland received over 70,000 visitors from Spain in 1997, about half of whom were language students. Ireland has had remarkable success in attracting language students from Spain and the numbers have been increasing steadily year by year. The fact that so many former students pay return visits to Ireland in later years, often with friends and family, is a telling testament to the positive experience of Ireland gained through English language study.
Of course the single factor which has played the most positive part in bringing our counties together is our shared membership of the European Union. While our trade links may go back a long time in history they have never been stronger or more diverse than they are today. As a direct consequence of the dismantling of barriers that came with the establishment of the European Single Market, trade, business, tourism and cultural links between Ireland and Spain are thriving as never before.
While the trade balance is very much in Ireland’s favour, this is offset to no small degree by Irish tourists visiting Spain – about 8% of the Irish population visits Spain each year, by far the single largest destination for Irish overseas tourism. Spain is a particularly important market for Irish industry, particularly in the food, beverages, dairy, and seafood sectors and in industrial goods and services. All told, there are nearly 500 indigenous Irish companies actively exporting to Spain.
The fruits of expanded trade can be seen in the performance of our economies – both Ireland and Spain are among the European Union’s fastest growing economies. Irish companies are increasingly interested in growth through investment overseas and many have a strong interest in Spain as a business location.
A further reflection of the deepening of our economic relations was the establishment last year of an ‘Ireland House’ or Casa Irlanda in Madrid, bringing together under one roof the Embassy of Ireland along with Enterprise Ireland, An Bord Bia, Bord Failte and BIM.
You, the members of the Ireland Spain Economic Association, have seen considerable growth in trade between Ireland and Spain in the past decade. You have seen also the development of a sister organisation in Spain, the Spain-Ireland Business Club. Both organisations have made a very positive contribution to the development of Ireland’s bilateral economic relations with Spain and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the valuable work undertaken by you and to congratulate you on your achievements in bringing Ireland Spin closer together and to wish you every success in the years ahead.
La historia nos ofrece una fuente inagotable de ejeuplos de la amistad entre los dos paises. Esto y seguro de que Irlanda y España son, en las palabras de la caición, Amigos Para Siempre.