Speech at the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad
Áras an Uachtaráin, 30th October 2014
Taoiseach,
Tánaiste,
Ministers,
Members of the Council of State agus a cháirde,
Tá áthas orm fíor-chaoin fáilte a fhearradh romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin le haghaidh na hócáide fíor-speisialta seo. Bá mhaith liom fáilte ar leith a fhearradh roimh ár n-aíonna oinigh – faighteoirí na bliana seo de Chearnmhír an Uachtaráin um Sheirbhís Dearscna do Ghaeil Thar Lear.
[I am delighted to welcome you all to Áras an Uachtaráin for this very special occasion. May I welcome in particular our guests of honour – the recipients of this year’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.]
Throughout our history, migration has been experienced and related in different ways by each generation, as the patterns of the migratory experience have changed and evolved in time. Yet beyond those successive mutations, migration is a theme that remains deeply ingrained in the Irish psyche. It is an inescapable part of the Irish identity – one that informs our outlook of the world and our sensitivity to the fate of others.
It is a collective experience which must also infuse the way we view and respond to the contemporary predicament of millions of men, women and children who were forced to leave behind their homes, communities and means of survival to seek refuge elsewhere.
We should never forget that European countries developed themselves, in previous centuries, by exporting millions of their own people to other continents. Can we be content with the current management of migration flows at global level, which sees migration to rich countries virtually blocked, leaving so many with no other option than to cross the Mediterranean, our Mare Nostrum turned mass graveyard, in highly perilous circumstances? What would have happened to the Irish people, had they been denied the possibility to emigrate to the New World in order to escape starvation at home in the mid-19th century?
Today its diaspora is one of Ireland’s strengths. It stretches far and wide, with an estimated 70 million people around the world who are of Irish descent. As a nation we remain very conscious of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe to those who have left these shores over so many years, often reluctantly. So many of them have made their mark in communities across the continents – working, making friends, raising and educating families, and while contributing to their host destinations, living rich and fulfilling lives in their adopted countries, also remaining true to, and proud of, their Irish heritage.
Their hard work, tangible support and generous encouragement to those who remained at home have been very influential in shaping and crafting the modern Ireland we know today.
Thus, at the heart of our relationship with our diaspora lies a sense of inclusivity – of the coming together of Irish people, wherever they may be in the world, in a spirit of support and solidarity. It also builds a bridge of mutuality and kinship between those who have gone and their fellow Irish in their homeland of origin, and it celebrates what we can and must do together.
As we in Ireland are working to rebuild our economy and society on new bases; as we are drawing on the values of solidarity and community, I can think of no better models than our awardees this evening, people who, through their sustained efforts, have shown care – care for their immediate community, for their homelands, both of birth and affinity – be it Ireland, Britain, America, Russia, Korea, Australia, Canada, Dubai, or the imagined community of the European Union.
People like Mary Allen, who has selflessly given of her time and energy to make the London Irish Centre a lively and hospitable place, since its very foundation 60 years ago, and who worked tirelessly to raise funds to support the Irish community in London, are the heart and soul of Irish communities across the globe.
I was delighted to meet with members of the Irish community in Britain during my State Visit there last April – a memorable, indeed historical, occasion which offered all those involved a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the mutual respect, the spirit of cooperation, and the warm friendship which unite our two countries.
The United States is another nation with whom Ireland enjoys an especially warm and close relationship. I am delighted to once again extend a very warm Irish welcome to Kevin O’Malley, our new US Ambassador and my nearest neighbour! I have no doubt that Ambassador O’Malley shares our pride at the achievements of our three awardees who live in the US, namely Fionnula Flanagan, Niall O’Dowd and Dr Kevin Cahill.
Niall O’Dowd is one of the best known voices of Irish America, where both his media work facilitating connections to Ireland and his advocacy for the undocumented Irish migrants are widely acknowledged. Tonight, however, we also want to recognise Niall’s lesser known contribution to moving the peace process in Northern Ireland forward.
The type of knowledge and professional skills Dr Kevin Cahill developed throughout his career are ones which are very much needed around our world, and especially so as Western Africa currently grapples with the Ebola pandemic. Indeed for many years, Kevin has put his expertise in tropical medicine to the service of the UN and humanitarian relief efforts around the globe.
All of us here are immensely appreciative of Kevin’s work, one that he managed to combine with a commitment to developing the American Irish Historical Society as a centre of scholarship and culture.
This love of culture is shared by Fionnula Flanagan, who is both a talented actress and a strong supporter of the Irish language and of the Irish arts in the US. While Niall O’Dowd may be the voice of Irish America, Fionnula Flanagan has often been the face of it. Of course Fionnula is no stranger to receiving awards, but I hope that this one will hold a special place in her heart, as a recognition, not just of her talent, but of her service to the Irish nation.
Thomas Keneally is a proud member of the Australian Irish diaspora. He is one who, through the craft of his words, has brought Irish and international history to life. Thomas’s book Schindler’s Ark, which gave the basis for the film Schindler’s List, featuring Liam Neeson, contributed to bringing awareness of the Holocaust to a new generation, and thus had a resonance far beyond Ireland.
When we think of the Irish diaspora, countries such as Britain, America, Canada and Australia spring to mind. Yet our Irish emigrants are exploring, seeking opportunities and making their mark in many other parts of the world.
Colm McLoughlin is a Galwayman who brought his experience working with Aer Rianta to Dubai in 1983, and who now heads the very successful Dubai Duty Free. We are also grateful to Colm for working with various Irish governments and state agencies to help other Irish businesses to get a foothold in the region.
It is not always easy for the Irish abroad to find a community space in countries where there are language barriers, no history of migration, and a small population of Irish people. Those involved in creating such a space must start from scratch and work particularly hard. Avril Conroy’s work in the service of the Irish community in Russia, and her many skills, which span from setting up business networks to organising children’s Christmas parties, have earned her the respect of the community there.
Back to Western Europe, and more precisely to the heart of the European Union, I wish to salute Catherine Day’s commitment to the European project, a project that is vital to the wellbeing of our citizens, in Ireland and in every other member state. Catherine has devoted her life to public service in the most noble sense, and we are very proud of her contribution to the functioning of the European Commission, where she has applied her great intellect and sharp sense of organisation for many years now. Let us hope that the Commission, an institution that is so central to our shared future as Europeans, will continue to work on the day Catherine retires as its Secretary General!
May I, to finish, mention those who are not physically with us this evening.
Fr PJ McGlinchey, a native of Donegal, is being honoured for his lifetime of charitable work on Jeju Island, about 80 miles off the Southern coast of South Korea. I regret that Fr McGlinchey could not join us this evening, and I salute his brothers from the Columban Order who are here tonight. Fr Mc Glinchey used his own agricultural knowledge to develop farming on the island, encouraging the cultivation of underused farmland and the use of new farming methods. He also encouraged the establishment of a credit union, which helped thousands of islanders emerge from poverty.
Another great man, and a great friend of Ireland, Mr Jim Flaherty, sadly left this world earlier this year. May I extend my warmest welcome to Jim’s wife, Christine, and to their three sons who have travelled from Canada to receive this award on Jim’s behalf. During his entire career, including during his time as Canada’s Minister for Finance, Jim was always conscious of the more vulnerable members of society. He was a proud Canadian Irishman, and one of his legacies is the Famine Memorial Park in Toronto, for which he was instrumental in securing joint funding by the Irish and Canadian governments.
Tá aitheantas tugtha do shaothar, do thiomantas agus do mhórghníomhartha gach duine de na faighteoirí ina bpobail féin thar lear. Tugann an tráthnóna seo an deis domsa, thar ceann mhuintir na hÉireann, ár mbuíochas a ghabháil leis an deich bhfaighteoirí – go raibh míle maith agaibh.
[Each of our awardees is recognised among their own communities abroad for their work, dedication and achievements. This evening is an opportunity for me, on behalf of the people of Ireland, to say thank you to our ten recipients - go raibh míle maith agaibh.]
On behalf of us all, may I express our deep appreciation for the service which, each in your own distinctive way, you have offered to Ireland, to the Irish people wherever they may be, and, more broadly, to the cause which you deemed worth pursuing.
May I also convey my gratitude to the members of the High Level Panel that had the task – both rigorous and uplifting – of recommending ten individuals to receive this Award from many worthy and distinguished contenders. I would like, therefore, to thank Sally O’Neill-Sanchez, Declan Kiberd, Kingsley Aikins, Fr Bobby Gimore, and also Martin Fraser, Niall Burgess and Art O’Leary, the Secretaries General of the Departments of the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs, and of my own Office.
I again congratulate each and every one of our recipients and thank them for the generosity of spirit, determination and ceaseless work, which have made each of these awards so truly deserved.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.