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Madam Speaker,
[In her poem, ‘Quarantine’, the brilliant Irish author and Stanford professor, Eavan Boland, wrote of ‘‘the worst hour of the worst year of the worst season of a whole people.’’
She was referring to 1847 and ‘‘the Great Hunger’’ which drove so many from Ireland to the seek refuge in the New World, President Biden’s ancestors amongst them.
But her words capture, I think, our shared experience these past twelve months.]
For our people on either side of the Atlantic, and across the world, this has been a uniquely difficult year.
In normal times, Madam Speaker, we might be gathered today in the Capitol, squeezed together – elbow to elbow almost – around a table with the President, the Vice-President and scores of Congressional leaders, Democrat and Republican.
But the times are anything but normal.
And so it is that today, I speak to you from Dublin.
Bridging the Atlantic, we remember the passing of dear friends who celebrated many St Patrick’s Days in Washington – amongst them two Statemen, John Lewis and John Hume.
We remember too the origins of the Capitol’s celebration of Ireland’s patron saint. From the very foundation of your Republic, Madam Speaker, Ireland has enjoyed the friendship of the House you now, so ably, lead.
And it was very significantly on this day, four decades ago, that the Friends of Ireland Caucus was officially formed. Its architects were the so-called Four Horsemen – Speaker Tip O’Neill, Governor Hugh Carey and Senators Patrick Moynihan and Ted Kennedy. And its founding members included at least two serving Senators – Pat Leahy and Ed Markey - as well as a young Senator from Delaware with a fondness for Irish poetry, now President Biden, and whom I had the pleasure of speaking to today.
From its inception, the Friends has been bipartisan, focussed, above all else, on promoting peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland. And I take this opportunity to welcome Congressman Mike Kelly as a new Co-Chair, and to thank Peter King for his contribution over many years. As Members of Congress, the Friends helped lay the foundations for the Good Friday Agreement. That historic agreement, finalised on Good Friday 1998, is guaranteed by international law, laid at the United Nations in New York.
America, its Congress and successive Administrations played an indispensable role in bringing about what has become an indispensable agreement.
And which, ultimately, delivered not only a new Ireland. But a new era for transatlantic relations, and global recognition of the successful role an engaged US can play as a peace-maker and peace-builder.
Madam Speaker,
In the five years since the UK voted to leave the European Union, we have seen – time and time again – how strong our friendships in Washington are, where there is a deep appreciation of the importance of the balances and nuances within the Good Friday Agreement. An appreciation that we do not take for granted.
Though we recognised and respected Brexit as a decision of the British people, we always knew that it would ultimately create strains and complications, especially in Northern Ireland.
Severing ties that had built up over almost five decades of shared membership of the European Union - and that had helped underpin the Good Friday Agreement – was never going to be painless.
But we have been determined always that, whatever other harm Brexit does cause, it could never be allowed to jeopardise the peace so many worked so hard for.
Your visit to Ireland and Britain in April 2019, and the clear message you conveyed about your commitment to protecting the peace process and preserving the seamless border in Ireland made a real difference.
The voices of the Friends of Ireland Caucus carried clearly across the Atlantic. This helped pave the way for agreement between the EU and the UK, including in particular on the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Protocol is an agreed, balanced compromise. In long and difficult negotiations, it was the only way that could be found to manage the unique complexities of Northern Ireland, and to avoid the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Implementing the Protocol involves change, and sometimes it takes time for people to adjust to new ways of doing things. The Protocol has only been in operation since the start of this year.
I have always known that there would inevitably be bumps and wrinkles along the way. That is why the Agreement itself contains mechanisms through which any difficulties can be resolved.
However, fundamentally, for the Protocol to succeed, and for it to deliver the benefits to the people of Northern Ireland in the way that I know that it can, there has to be a relationship between the UK and the EU based on trust and good faith. Once again, the eyes and the interest of the US can continue to make a difference at a delicate time.
Finally, Madam Speaker, can I thank you for your efforts to ensure that Irish men and women can once again come to America to fulfil the American Dream, to work and contribute to this great nation by legal means. I hope that this Congress Term can pass legislation that makes that dream a reality. So that in the decades to come, the sons and daughters of Irish emigrants can continue to contribute to the great diversity that powers America.
I am very pleased to have been part of this event today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Friends of Ireland Caucus; to honour the memory of those we’ve lost; to affirm the special ties between our nations; to recall most especially the unique and unparalleled importance of your voices and actions in creating peace, stability and opportunity yesterday, today and into the future on the island of Ireland.
I look forward to welcoming you all back to Ireland, as soon as circumstances allow.
Thank you Madam Speaker.
Happy St Patrick’s Day to you, to Chairman Neal, and to all our many friends in Congress.
ENDS