SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MC ALEESE, AT A DINNER HOSTED BY LAWRENCE MAC AULEY
SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MC ALEESE, AT A DINNER HOSTED BY LAWRENCE MAC AULEY, FEDERAL MINISTER OF LABOUR
As President of a small country it is my great pleasure to begin my visit in Canada’s smallest province. Coming from a country with one time zone, one climate, which Irish people like to call “soft” and visitors tend to call “rain”, Prince Edward Island provides a gentle stepping stone from Ireland to Canada.
Although the smallest partner in Confederation, Prince Edward Island has had a pivotal role in Canadian history. The Maritime leaders who met in Charlottetown in 1864 to discuss local union were guided by two principles - to protect the prosperity of the Maritimes and to cherish local identity. This was later expanded to become the success which we call Canada. It is remarkably similar to the programme begun by European leaders after the Second World War which culminated in today’s European Union. In our Union small countries such as Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium are treated as equal partners and frequently play an important role in facilitating discussion, reaching agreement and balancing the needs of the larger States.
Islanders have a knack for driving a hard bargain. I understand that when the Governor General visited the Island on 1 July 1873, he left under the distinct impression that it was the Dominion of Canada that had been annexed to Prince Edward Island. A characteristic shared by both our Islands has been the pain of emigration over the years. One Irish poet describes Ireland as a mother who finds her instincts towards her children thwarted:
She said, “They gave me of their best,
They lived, they gave their lives for me;
I tossed them to the howling waste,
And flung them to the foaming sea”
The foaming sea and red sandstone bluffs of Prince Edward Island were a welcome sight to the many thousands of Irish who came here, whether to pause for a while before moving on to other parts of North America or to put down roots. Some came as part of the British colonial administration, men like Walter Patterson, the Donegal born first Governor of the Island and Thomas DesBrisay from Tipperary, his Lieutenant Governor. Perhaps inspired by the beauty they saw around them they persuaded the Legislative Assembly to rename the Island “New Ireland” but could not, unfortunately, get the approval of the Privy Council for the change.
The failure of the Rising of 1798 led some to flee their land for the relative anonymity of North America and a few ended up in Prince Edward Island, adding a new feature to the very loyal Irish community. The thirty years that followed were characterized by emigration from the south-eastern counties of Ireland, from Wexford and Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary, with larger vessels sailing directly to P.E.I. from the principal ports in Ireland, especially from Waterford.
I think it is fair to say, however, that what imprinted a distinctive character on the Irish heritage of the Island was the arrival from 1830 on of settlers from Ulster and notably from Monaghan, exchanging the “stony grey soil” of that county for the rich red earth of P.E.I. I have often driven through County Monaghan and been intrigued by large signs declaring its twinning with Prince Edward Island. The family names of Monaghan became part of the life of the Island - Mc Kennas, Mc Mahons, Mc Quaids and Mc Carvilles to mention but a few. The pastures of Fort Augustus and Kincora and the steep hills Kelly’s Cross replaced for them the county of a thousand hills. The first group of Monaghan families came to be known as the “Glasgow Irish”.
While some of those who arrived were Irish living in Scotland, others were descendants of Scots living in Ireland. The Scots and the Irish have always had a close relationship, the very word “scottus” being an old word for Irish. Indeed the name “Mc Auley”, Minister, is a very common name in my home county of Antrim - some of them descendants of Scots who may themselves be descendants of the Irish who migrated to Scotland centuries before. Both communities have helped to make Prince Edward Island a place where different ethnic groups, different religions, different languages came can coexist and prosper.
Conciliation is one of the basic characteristics of Canadian public life, and one of Canada’s main contributions to international affairs. It is against this background, and Canada’s own experience as a meeting place for different traditions, which enabled Canada to play such a constructive role in the peace process.
Rarely did the Irish retain their ancient language or record for us their experience. They did, however, enrich the dialectical language, folk music and traditions of the Island. They retained their concern for their families, desire for land, interest in politics, their respect for learning and their religious zeal and fitted in well alongside those whose heritage was Scottish, English or French.
The success of the Irish abroad might suggest that we thrive best when faced with direct competition. Joining what was then the Common Market and is now the European Union allowed us to experience at home the competition which our emigrants experienced abroad. Much of the success of recent years can be attributed to a unified approach by all sectors of Irish society - what we call the Social Partners - trade unions, employers and Government. In recent years we have concentrated our efforts on making the economy of Ireland strong and resilient so that it is a good place to work and do business.
The millions of dollars of Canadian investment in Ireland, both north and south, has happened, not because Canadians are a generous people, though they certainly are. Canadians invest in Ireland because Ireland is the world’s second biggest exporter of computer software, exceeded only by the United States. Canadians invest in Ireland because it is Europe’s high growth economy and they want to join more than a thousand of the world’s leading companies which already have manufacturing operations in Ireland. Canadians invest in Ireland because it is the best way to enter the European market and succeed.
In the short time that I have been here I couldn’t help but notice that Ireland and Prince Edward Island are remarkably similar in some ways. With rolling hills and long sandy beaches it is no surprise that both islands have been so successful in attracting tourists. Ireland, of course doesn’t have the added attraction of Green Gables, but we do have many beautiful golf courses and certain literary attractions of our own. Many Islanders may be a little ambivalent towards Lucy Maud Montgomery and the way in which her literary creation has come to dominate, but few would argue with her description of the Island: “compressed by the inviolate sea, it floats on the waves of the blue gulf, a green seclusion and haunt of ancient peace”.
I thank you for inviting us to this beautiful “haunt”, the best possible entrance to Canada.
TOAST:
To Prince Edward Island, the Queen and People of Canada.