Photo credit: Janet Donovan
St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny (The Prime Minister of Ireland) has come and gone, but for the 33.3 Americans of Irish descent that live in the US, the spirit lives on.
“We’ve had a wonderful, exhilarating day. The sun is shining. Every door has been opened to us in Washington, and the welcome could not have been warmer,” said The Ambassador of Ireland Anne Anderson at a reception in honor of An Taoiseach and Mrs. Kenny at the historic Willard Hotel on St. Patrick’s Day.
Ambassador Anderson
“I think you all know the Taoiseach’s CV already: His four decades in political life. His extensive experience as minister. His leadership of his party since 2002. Of course, what is most important is the Taoiseach’s leadership of the country over the past four years – such an extraordinary journey, and the unique, extraordinary relationship between our two great countries.”
Mr. Kenny is proud of the growth of his country and pointed out the differences that have occurred over the past four years. “Let me say to you I came here to Washington just over four years ago when our country was in a very bad situation economically. We were blocked out of the markets, the banks had gone over the edge, we lost 300,000 thousand jobs, immigration was hemorrhaging our system, and we’d lost our integrity and our credibility. That’s all in the past. It was a difficult time. We made difficult decisions. Because of the sacrifice of the people, we’re now in a better place. We’re actually in a situation where unemployment is falling from 15% down to 10%. Exports are booming. Investment is very strong in the country. Irish companies are being set up that are growing globally and exporting, which is great. We’ve had almost 90,000 new jobs created in the last 3 1/2 years, expecting to get 40,000 more jobs.”
Enda Kenny
“Our deficit is below 3% this year, wiped out by 2018. We’ll have full employment by that date. For the first time in a number of years, we’ve actually been able to give back to people, something in their pay packets by reducing income tax and increasing the level at which they pay the higher rate of income tax,” he added. “This year, in October, we expect to take half a million people out of having to pay the universal social charge entirely and we’re going to continue that for the time ahead so that everybody, all those families that still don’t feel the effect of a rising economy will see it in their daily lives and in their pay packets enormously.”
“We ‘re so proud of the engagement that we have with the United States – politically, culturally, musically, from a literary point of view, from a business point of view, from a political point view. That’s why the organizations that we have here with us are really important in a sense of keeping those connections alive.” Kenny went on to point out the guests in the crowd that contributed to the business relationships which he has courted over the years and how that has helped Ireland to prosper, while guests chowed down on everything Kerrygold.
“I was in Atlanta on Thursday, Friday. We were in Austin on Sunday down in Texas and here in Washington for the last few days. We’ve had 37 or 40 engagements with politics, with business, with Irish diaspora and all the rest of it. I didn’t know before I came here but there were 4 of the signatories of the Texas Declaration of Independence were Irish. 11 Irish dead at the Alamo. The Irish flag flies at the Alamo chapel. 170,000 Irish men fought in the Civil War, it ended on the 9th of May 1865. Those who fought for the United States, in all the uniforms of the United states, and so many wars subsequently are all part of our Irish diaspora.”
Senator John McCain with Enda Kenny
Fionnuala Kenny
“We want to tie that together on this St. Patrick’s Day in this St. Patrick’s week not just in America but in other places as well. Next year we celebrate the centenary commemorative events of 1916, of the first fledgling steps of our country towards economic and political independence. We have a whole series of things that will be comprehensive, that will be inclusive that will be sensitive. That will show people that their part in the development of our personality and our state as it traveled the first journey of 100 years.”
