THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. A hundred
thousand welcomes to you all. I probably am not going to try
to say that in Gaelic. (Laughter.) But I have learned to
pronounce Taoiseach. (Laughter and
applause.) Welcome back to the White House. It's
good to be able to welcome a friend to your home. The
Taoiseach is a friend.
I want to thank John Reid, the Secretary of State of Northern
Ireland, for being here. John, how are you? He's
on his honeymoon. (Laughter.) Sorry to disrupt your
honeymoon, but it's for a noble cause. (Laughter.)
David Trimble, the honorable David Trimble, first Minister of
Northern Ireland -- David, thank you for
coming. Honorable Mark Durkan, appreciate you being
here. I want to thank all the other leaders from Northern
Ireland. I want to thank the ambassadors who are
here. Members of Congress -- always a
pleasure to welcome you to the White House.
I want to thank you all for joining us in celebrating the memory of
St. Patrick. His generosity and love of liberty shaped
Ireland. Through generations of immigrants, those values
have helped shape America. And we are a better country for
it.
Today we also celebrate our common bonds and common
purpose. From America's earliest days, our nation has
profited from the contributions of the men and women of
Ireland. In fact, over two centuries ago, it was an Irish
boy born in County Wexford, John Barry, who made vital contributions to
America's independence, and is recognized as one of the founders of the
Department of Navy.
Today Ireland is supporting the coalition against
terrorism. And we're proud of your
support. You've frozen the assets of terrorists. You're
helping respond to terror by leading the Security Council of the United
Nations.
For tens of millions of Americans, our ties with Ireland are family
ties. And this number includes some very distinguished
Americans. We're honored today to have with us Irish
American firefighters who served our nation so heroically on September
the 11th. They represent the best of the United States when
they displayed enormous strength and determination in the face of
overwhelming tragedy.
And I want to thank you all for coming. And I want to
tell you what I told you before: We remember your
colleagues. We will not forget your colleagues who gave
their lives trying to save the lives of others. Welcome to the White
House. (Applause.)
The people of Northern Ireland know the threat of terror and they
know the value of peace. America is encouraged with the
great strides that have been made in implementing the Good Friday
agreement. We see progress in the daily business of the
Northern Ireland Assembly, in the new class of police recruits drawn
from all communities in Northern Ireland, in the first act of
decommissioning taken last fall, and in the North-South Ministerial
Council, which is promoting cooperation across the border in
agriculture and transportation and other areas. The good
citizens of Northern Ireland and the leaders here today have
demonstrated a fierce determination: the next generation
must not grow up amid "the troubles."
For all communities in Northern Ireland, there's only one future,
and it must be a future of peace. Peacemaking can be hard
work, like planting in hard soil. And as the Irish proverb
tells us, you'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.
Important work remains and the United States stands ready to do its
part. As we gather here today to celebrate an old friendship
and new hopes, let me open this reception with a
blessing: May the Irish hills caress you; may her lakes and
rivers bless you; may the luck of the Irish enfold you; may the
blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
God bless Ireland and God bless the United States of America.
(Applause.)