Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the wonderful welcome which you have extended to us on Capitol Hill today.
We are also deeply honoured to be joined by President Bush. The President and I have, as you know, come here from The White House where our National Day was celebrated most warmly and where we had a very helpful and detailed meeting about the issues which concern our two countries.
Madam Speaker,
We are immensely grateful that you have continued this important and much-cherished tradition of celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Capitol Hill.
I am doubly honoured this year, following your kind invitation to me to address a Joint Meeting of Congress on 30 April next.
Your invitation is a great honour for Ireland. It is also a great act of friendship from a very dear friend of our country.
I know, Madam Speaker, that we would all wish to see you visit us in Ireland and I hope that we can very soon have an opportunity to officially welcome you as Speaker.
I am pleased to be joined today by the Ceann Comhairle, or Speaker, of our Dáil, John O'Donoghue, T.D., - a proud Kerryman. It is John's first occasion to be here in that capacity.
I also bring greetings from the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, William Hay, who unfortunately cannot be with us here today.
May I pay tribute to our good friend Congressman Richie Neal for his leadership and vision as Chairman of the Friends of Ireland over the past year.
I want also to recognise Congressman Jim Walsh for his exceptional contribution to our peace process, during the most challenging times. I know that Jim has decided to retire later this year. I want you to know, Jim, that amongst your many accomplishments, you can take special pride in the work you have done for the land of your forbears. The outcome of this work serves as a real and enduring legacy for which you deserve great credit indeed.
I would also like to welcome some of our other guests from Ireland - the deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness and Ministers Margaret Ritchie and Jeffrey Donaldson from the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as the Chief Justice of Ireland, John Murray.
And of course, special thanks to Governor O'Malley for his friendship and for his beautiful rendition of our national anthems.
I need only look at many of the names of those gathered here to be reminded of our shared heritage in a country which has welcomed immigrants to these shores over so many generations.
I know that when President Bush addressed you just a few weeks ago, he referred to his hope that comprehensive immigration reform could be achieved. This, Madam Speaker, is our fervent hope too.
We know that this is an emotive issue for many. But I know you will also understand our humanitarian concern to secure, as soon as possible, a stable and secure future for our affected citizens and their families who have committed themselves to this country but whose lives cannot be regularised so long at this issue remains unresolved. I hope that we can see some progress that will address their plight.
Earlier this morning, I told President Bush that I often wondered whether it would one day be possible to come to Washington and to report that the Irish peace process had finally succeeded.
Today, Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to stand here and to tell you that we have indeed brought peace to Ireland.
You very kindly met First Minister Ian Paisley and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness when they visited Capitol Hill in December. You heard at first hand their report on the work that they are now doing together since the new Executive was formed in Northern Ireland on May 8 last.
I am happy to tell you also that today there is a new working partnership between the Executive in Belfast and the Government in Dublin. We are determined to work together to improve the lives of all on the island of Ireland.
I want especially to pay tribute to First Minister Ian Paisley as he prepares to step down in a few weeks time. History will record that he gave vital leadership and helped to usher in a new and enormously promising chapter in the history of Ireland.
We have built peace and we must now work to achieve prosperity in Northern Ireland. Supported by the US, Irish and British Governments, the Economic Investment Conference in Belfast on 8 May next is a landmark opportunity to underpin peace and partnership and build new prosperity in Northern Ireland.
We also look forward to seeing the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Executive, as agreed at St Andrews. This will be the last piece in the jigsaw that will give us the durable peace and prosperity we have been working for all these years.
We all know that it has not been easy to reach the point where we are today. However, we know also that, quite simply, it would not have happened without the constant, steadfast support of the United States and without the interest and commitment of all our friends, on both sides of the aisle, here in Congress.
To all of you and to your predecessors who travelled with us on our long journey to where we are today, I say a heartfelt "thank you".
Let me express our thanks too for the continuing support here in Congress for the International Fund for Ireland. The work of the IFI serves the ongoing challenges of reconciliation and the building of trust, so crucial to the long-term interests of all the communities in Northern Ireland.
The goodwill and support of good friends here has made a real difference. It will continue to be important to us.
Madam Speaker,
We look forward to a new and exciting chapter in the story of Ireland. And as we consolidate our peace, I hope that we can also share our experiences with others who are trying to emerge from conflict and strife. No two conflicts are the same but I believe that what we have achieved in Ireland can offer real hope to others.
Ireland and the United States are two countries of vastly different size and scale but who now enjoy substantial interdependence. We greatly value the US inward investment to Ireland which has contributed to the modern and dynamic economy that is the Ireland of today, a place of opportunity and promise. At the same time, and as Ireland has developed economically, many Irish businessmen and women have focused their energies on the United States and the opportunities that are offered here.
To an ever-increasing extent, therefore, the economic relationship between Ireland and the United States involves two-way opportunities. Many of you may be surprised to know that the number of jobs generated by Irish companies in the United States is growing at an accelerating pace, which, if sustained, will see a similar number of jobs created here by Irish businesses as there are generated by US businesses in Ireland. This represents a huge transformation of the economic relationship between our two countries.
I believe that there are many areas where we can work together to affect positive change.
I know, Madam Speaker, that you have closely followed the question of aid in Darfur and elsewhere, something which the President and I discussed earlier today. In Ireland, we now contribute well over one billion dollars every year to Aid Programmes abroad. This is just one area, I believe, where we can work very effectively together on behalf of our fellow human beings who are afflicted by famine and disease.
To quote Robert Kennedy, who we remember especially this year, it is through such actions that we can send forth a "tiny ripple of hope" to those in need of aid and support.
Madam Speaker,
We have entered, I believe, a new and exciting chapter of the bilateral relationship between Ireland and America.
We have a rich and unique relationship that gives us a wonderful platform.
For my part, I am absolutely determined that the friendship that we enjoy, and the values that we share, will continue to prosper and serve our countries in so many different, exciting and productive ways.
Happy St. Patrick's Day and Thank You.
ENDS