merrion street

I’m delighted to be here today and thank you for inviting me.

I believe this is the first time since Liam Cosgrave voyaged with you on the

, that a Taoiseach has gone to sea with the Irish navy.

And I’m honoured to do so.

And I hope it shows the government’s commitment to the men and women of our navy. 

Your work keeps our seas safe.

And though I know you hold a special place in the hearts of coastal communities on our island, the country, as a whole, has a particular respect and affection for our navy.

Yours is a proud sea-faring tradition.

Because despite being a tiny island in the Atlantic, the Irish have always looked out well beyond our shores.

From the sixth century our monks took to the oceans – Brendan to the New World. 

Colombanus and Ferdia went to Italy.

Gaul headed for what is now Switzerland, giving his name to the city of St Gallen.

Kilian set out for Germany where he founded a strong monastic community, the basis of much  German Catholicism.   

They set off in tiny boats – navigating by the stars – to bring ‘Illumination’ to Europe – in every sense of the word.

There is particular pride in knowing that in the 6

century it was Ireland  - this small, remote island - brought Europe out of the Dark Ages.

I mentioned that to someone this week and they responded ...

Irishmen like Commodore John Barry founded the largest navy in the world while other Irish mariners played pivotal roles in the Royal Navy.....Admiral Frances Beaufort and John Holland with thousands of Irishmen playing a key role in notable engagements such as the Battle of Trafalgar.

My own county man Admiral William Brown facilitated the institutional arrangements that led to Argentinean independence.

The exploits of these men and women are recognised in every corner of the world from Valparaiso to Tokyo and from St Johns to Auckland. 

You inherit that tradition.

For decades

the men and women of the Irish Navy have supported Irish sovereignty in what are, statistically, among the most hostile seas in the world.

Today, you patrol the largest sea –to- land ratio of any EU State in North West Europe. 

A difficult sea area... that encompasses the centre of gravity of Western Europe’s frontier security....

A territory that overlaps with vital lines of communications between Europe and North America. 

In the delivery of defence and security services the Irish Navy has been to the forefront of many high-profile successful operations – the capture of the gun-running vessels

and

.

Search-and-rescue and search-and-recovery operations such as Fastnet 1979 and Air India 1985.

The latter bringing the Irish navy into hearts of Indian people around the world.

More recently you have been at the forefront in the war against drug- importation, with many successes, including the largest seizure to date in these waters.

Dances with Waves carrying almost ¾ of a billion Euro of cocaine. 

Today, the Naval Service is a vibrant innovative and service oriented Navy committed to working closely with the Army, Air Corps and a raft of government departments and agencies including the Gardai, Sea Fishery Protection Authority, Marine Institute, the Irish Coast Guard, Marine Surveyors Office and Irish Lights and many more. 

(My own grandfather was a lighthousekeeper on Inis Thoir)

On the international front working with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Enterprise Ireland, the Navy has carried the Irish Flag to some of the largest economies in the world, Japan, China, America – facilitating enterprise opportunities for many Irish companies – You and your ships connecting the Irish diasporas all over the world.

I’ve just come from the launch of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster – the largest Maritime Cluster in Ireland.

It comes from, among other things, the innovative spirit of the Irish Naval Service. 

It is borne out your ability to collaborate with other Institutions such as UCC and CIT which has led to one of the finest maritime colleges in the world.

The model you have pursued is a real example of Public Sector Transformation – it is bottom up, it is collaborative, and it is evidence based.

It is because of your proven record that we are committed to your new ships – just yesterday cutting of steel for the first of these ships was commenced.

With building blocks such as our Navy, IMERC the Marine Institute, Ireland now stands at the dawn of a new era for maritime Ireland.

An era stimulated by the growing realisation of the economic opportunities from our maritime sector. 

Our seas, our wind have serious potential for Ireland both in jobs and our energy needs for the future.

The Government has ambitious targets for renewable energy generation.

For too long our own out of date mindset has held back our advances into the sea. The planning system is a major impediment to investment in new sea based wind and wave facilitates.

Consequently, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Community is examining ways to reform this.

We’re far advanced in designing a new, foreshore-licence regime, making it easier to build offshore wind-generators and new wave-energy installations along the coast.

New legislation is due next year.

In terms of wave, the current phase of the National Strategy for Ocean Energy focuses on bringing projects from prototype, to fully-operational, pre-commercial devices, which will supply power directly to the electricity network.

We’re moving ahead.

The intention is to eventually be able to test full-scale, grid-connected, pre-commercial wave energy prototypes.

The proposed

project in Belmullet, County Mayo, is well advanced. The test-site includes two offshore test areas at 50m and 100m water depths, which would in turn, be connected to a shore based electricity substation.

SEAI and the Marine Institute have also established an

for 1/4-scale prototypes of wave energy devices in Galway Bay.

This site was used earlier this year by Ocean Energy Ltd (a device developer from here in Cork) for a European funded project.

Fishing continues to play a vital role in our economy.

And I want to make it clear that full scientific advice remains core to the industry.

And its role in the economy. 

Minister Simon Coveney tells me that at the October Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, the Council considered ‘Total Allowable Catch’ and quota proposals for the Baltic Sea.

In response to concerns that Ireland and other countries raised about the overall policy being pursued, Commissioner Damanaki committed herself to rethinking her previously-stated policy of automatic reductions of 15 or 25% to a swathe of stocks in the absence of full scientific advice. 

Ireland is pleased that the Commission now appears receptive to looking at the scientific advice on a case by case basis.

Something we have been advocating and seeking.

Because we believe there is a need for greater adherence to the scientific advice available to enable prudent and appropriate management decisions to be taken.

This is necessary to provide for sustainable fish stocks and support the viability of the fishing industry, while also protecting the broader ecosystem around our shores.

The Programme for Government commits to a Sea Fisheries Sustainability Impact Assessment, based on consultation with all major stakeholders. 

This will be brought before the Dáil annually before EU fisheries negotiations commence. We believe this is an innovative step and a signal from this Government of the importance it places on the economic viability of our seafood industry and the wellbeing of our wider marine ecosystem.

In terms of quota cuts, we must remember the high cost from a social and economic perspective.

We have to be satisfied that in every case these cuts are justifiable.

Because as you well know, fishing ports and whole communities all around our coast, are dependent on fisheries for their very survival.

But communities in Ireland have depended on the sea since the first settlers, some say seven millennia ago.  

Before Admiral Brown ever graced the oceans, in my native Mayo we had our own Grace O’Malley.

The motto of the O’Malleys was

–

Something that applies well to our armed forces –

-  and especially to our Irish navy.

Because we are and have always been a maritime nation.

By joining you here today, I am restating the commitment of the government to our navy and all the men and women who make up those forces.

It is your passion, your commitment, your dedication that makes our navy what it is.

And for that on behalf of your country, I thank you.