Photo credit: Janet Donovan and Brendan Kownacki
Video credit: Janet Donovan
“It’s a great honor to welcome you all here as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day yet again today,” said The Ambassdor of Ireland Michael Collins referring to the week long celebration that has taken place around town from the National Building Museum to The White House.
“It’s celebrated not only by the Irish, but it’s celebrated by nearly everybody else in the world.” We’ll drink to that – in fact we did at the Park Hyatt where Michael and Marie Collins welcomed The Prime Minister and The Deputy Prime Minister.
Ambassador Michael Collins and Prime Minister Enda Kenny
“Enda Kenny was first elected to the Irish Parliment many many years ago,” said Collins. In fact, he’s the longest serving member of the Irish Parliment having been elected in 1975. Please give a warm Washington welcome, a warm Irish welcome to Taoiseach Kenny.”
Kenny, who was recently in New York after the landmark hurricane, remarked on the eternal links between the U.S. and Ireland: ”I had the priviledge afterwards of standing on top of Freedom Tower, 1776 feet up on an open working platform looking out over Ellis Island, Ms. Liberty, Battery Park where the famine memorial stands as a landmark in New York and is testament to the conections between our country and The United States over the last two hundreds years and a symbol of where we came from and how we have beaten adversity in the past and how we can do it again and will do in the context of this economic challenge that we face.”
Brendan Kownacki with Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore and Mrs. Gilmore
“Finally and very finally, this is the year of The Gathering,” he joked. “We want you to go East. We want you to go back to Ireland at some stage in case you don’t live there already. If you’ve never been there before and you are Irish or want to be Irish we will be happy to receive you as VIPs.
Esther Coopersmith and Marie Collins
Kenny, known for his wit, talked first seriously about Irish Immigrants and then added: ”Finally, I also came here to The United States to find out, as so many of my people did from my own coiuntry here, where St. Patrick climbed the Holy mountain in far few days and far few nights, (and I still haven’t found the secret of) how we are going to bring back that long lost relative of ours with proper legitimate documentation.
Tommy Quinn, Lynly Boor and Marie Collilns
His name is McGuire. His first name is Sam. He hasn’t been seen in our country for 62 years so if you can do anything in terms of politics, prayer or the power of motivation, then get down on your knees and hope and pray that we can finish this off.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
