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President Obama addresses public at College Green
President Barack Obama this afternoon addressed the public at College Green, Dublin. Introducing the President, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said:
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that Ireland is a place where all things are possible...today is your answer.Today the 44th American President comes home.This evening, my call is directly to those 40 million Irish Americans - we, your Irish family, are right here.
Addressing the gathered crowds, President Obama said:
We are bound by history and friendship and shared values...Never has a nation so small inspired so much in another...You could say there's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue...We found common cause with your struggles against oppression...Yours is a history frequently marked with the greatest of trials, but yours is also a history of proud and defiant endurance...We're peoples who never stop imagining a brighter future, even in bitter times...I know that Ireland will succeed.
The President praised the success of the peace process in Northern Ireland, noting the success of the recent election:
You, the Irish people, persevered...and made your voices heard for that peace...America will stand by you, always. America will stand by you always in your pursuit of peace. A dream has turned to reality because of the work of this nation...Your best days are still ahead. Our greatest triumphes in America and Ireland alike are still to come....Think about all we've done together...Is féidir linn. Yes We Can.