I am very pleased that you could join me to mark the launch of the official programme to commemorate a number of inter-linked anniversaries which, individually and together, represent significant influences on the shape of modern Ireland.
Some have suggested that Ireland is a land burdened with too much history. By that, I suppose, people mean that we are tempted to live too much in the past, to nurse old wounds, to recall old wrongs and to lament lost opportunities. We might also be accused, perhaps, of celebrating too much the great men and women and great deeds of the past, and not enough those of today.
But I believe, passionately, that a country which is not aware of and comfortable with its past, for all its complexity, and the scope it provides for diverging and conflicting interpretations, cannot be comfortable in the present, or still less, be confident about shaping its own future.
That is why I am so pleased that we can provide modest support to commemorative efforts that recall significant events and personalities in the story of Ireland and all its traditions. The anniversaries which we recall today certainly merit remembering.
Fr. Luke Wadding was a major European as well as an Irish figure. As a diplomat, a scholar, a historian and a theologian, he became one of the significant European figures of his time. He shaped in a substantial way the framework within which European society understood the Ireland of his day. He also shaped the environment into which many thousands of Irish men and women were received when they turned to Europe to find refuge, education and careers. This famous son of Waterford was responsible for ensuring the honouring of St. Patrick in the universal calendar of the Saints and, in that alone, did much to ensure the international reach of the story of Ireland.
Like Columbanus and John Scotus Eriugena in earlier periods, Wadding linked the Irish tradition of learning and spirituality to the wider European tradition of scholarship, especially through his service to the Franciscan Order, which in turn did so much to secure the language, history and literary traditions of this country.
Luke Wadding is, of course, buried in Rome in his beloved Saint Isidore's. The Government was pleased to fund necessary refurbishment of the library at Saint Isidore's. We are gratified to know that the Irish link and interest is recognised and will be honoured in the arrangements under which St. Isidore's is becoming a centre of scholarship for the history of the Franciscan Order, a project in which we have a supportive interest. Luke Wadding was also, of course, a principal founder of the Irish College in Rome, which continues and is thriving to this day in buildings, the 80th anniversary of whose opening will be celebrated this year.
The second anniversary which we celebrate is that of the founding of St. Anthony's College in Louvain. This anniversary, linked to that of Wadding, marks yet another dimension of the Franciscan contribution to Irish life and Irish scholarship. Louvain was, of course, one of the foremost centres of learning in Europe when St. Anthony's was founded in 1607. Its founder, Fr. Florence Conroy was the Irish Franciscan Provincial and he had been a Chaplain with the Spanish Army at Kinsale, returning to Spain with Red Hugh O'Donnell after the defeat.
St. Anthony's quickly acquired a reputation for learning and scholarship. Its significance in an Irish context relates particularly to the publication of texts in the Irish language. Linked to this was, of course, the tradition of historical research which was established at St. Anthony's. The finest expression of this was, of course, the Annals of the Four Masters, completed in 1636 by Micheál Ó Cleirigh, a Franciscan lay-brother from a family of historians who had served the O'Donnells for over 100 years, and three Franciscan collaborators. It is no exaggeration to say that this particular work of scholarship, and the Louvain tradition of Irish historical research, contributed hugely to the sense of national consciousness in Ireland.
The tradition of learning and scholarship continued until the College was effectively suppressed in 1796. Its revival in the last century renewed the direct Franciscan connection to that period of extraordinary effort and achievement. The success of Louvain was such that provision was made for the overflow of students in Rome and also in the famous Irish Franciscan Foundation in Prague.
With the generous co-operation of the Irish Franciscans, St. Anthony's College now houses the Institute for Ireland in Europe, which provides a physical and intellectual base for students, researchers and policy makers engaging with the modern European project. Given that this initiative enjoys support from the authorities North and South of the border, it is a particularly appropriate service which St. Anthony's offers to present and future generations.
The third anniversary marks one of the most poignant and romantic episodes in Irish history, when Hugh O'Neill, the Great Earl of Tyrone with family and supporters, slipped quietly away from Rathmullan Bay to seek refuge and support in his quest to resume the struggle to maintain the autonomy of the Gaelic order which, following the defeat at Kinsale, had come to an uneasy end with the Treaty of Mellifont.
Across the annals of Irish history, few figures emerge with such power and distinction as O'Neill. He was rightly acknowledged as one of the great military and political leaders of his age. He saw his cause, and that of his followers, as part of a wider European reality. It was that reality which he sought to engage by seeking personally the support of the major European powers to renew his military campaign at home.
That such was not to be was, perhaps, symbolically expressed by the fact that the little boat did not reach the intended destination of Spain, but deposited the travellers in France, from where they made their way to Louvain and the hospitality of St. Anthony's College, before subsequently arriving in Rome, which was to provide a home and ultimately a tomb for O'Neill and his followers.
The Flight of the Earls, of course, also marked the beginning of the great population movements and the new settlement pattern which we now know as the Plantation of Ulster. It thus marked the beginning of a critical phase in the shaping of the modern Ireland, with its complexities and diverse identities, which have evolved against the backdrop of our continuing European vocation.
It is right that these great events and personalities should be marked. I salute those who have engaged in detailed planning of events at home and abroad, especially the very ambitious Leuven 400 Programme, which brings together the efforts of the Franciscan Order, the academic community in UCD, as well as the Institute for Ireland in Europe in Louvain, the Irish Embassy to Belgium and Donegal County Council. I welcome the participation of the major national cultural institutions in this programme of commemoration.
I am particularly grateful to An Post for the stamps which it has issued to mark the Wadding and Louvain centenaries, and which it will issue later in the year to recall the Flight of the Earls.
I am especially grateful to the Director of the National Gallery, Raymond Keaveney, who has brought along the recently acquired original portrait of Fr. Luke Wadding by Carlo Maratta. This contemporary portrait is being displayed here publicly for the first time.
A National Committee chaired by the Secretary General to the Government, and representing the relevant Departments and Agencies, has considered the various programmes and projects and I am pleased to say that financial support is being provided by the Government through my colleague, John O'Donoghue's Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, through the Office of Public Works, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and through my own Department, for events in Dublin, Donegal, Louvain and Rome.
In the case of the Flight of the Earls, the Government will be providing support for a series of events over the next few years as distinct anniversaries arise. We will also aim to support appropriate events of commemoration in Northern Ireland, of the anniversaries of the profound developments of the early 17th century that shaped its landscape and the communities.
There is much of interest, enjoyment and reflection to be had in the varied programmes which we are supporting. I commend them to you, and to the public in whose interest they have been organised.
ENDS