[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3295-S3296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY'S REMARKS AT THE AMERICAN IRELAND FUND 
                             NATIONAL GALA

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, last week, on the eve of Saint 
Patrick's Day, the American Ireland Fund recognized Senator Kennedy for 
his life-long commitment to the Irish people and to peace in Northern 
Ireland. Senator Hatch and myself had the honor of introducing Senator 
Kennedy that night. Today, I rise to recognize Senator Kennedy for his 
work on behalf of peace and justice here in the United States and 
around the world, particularly in Ireland.
  Before Ireland was in fashion, Senator Kennedy was its loyal friend. 
Throughout the adult lives of most of the members of this body, Senator 
Kennedy, his sister United States Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy 
Smith, and members of their family have worked tirelessly, day in and 
day out, to better the lot of the least fortunate of their fellow men 
and women. Senator Kennedy's efforts regularly reach across the borders 
of nation, race and religion.
  It was only natural, then, that the conflict and injustice in 
Northern Ireland would make a claim on Senator Kennedy's conscience. 
His unceasing interest in achieving peace in Northern Ireland was, and 
is, the one constant over the many ups and downs on the still bumpy 
road to resolving that conflict. He labors both as a distinguished 
representative of the United States, and as a loyal son of Ireland.
  Reflecting on the way Senator Kennedy has led so many of his 
colleagues down the tortured path that must inevitably lead to peace, I 
am reminded of the figure of the great Irish poet, William Butler 
Yeats, standing amidst the portraits of his contemporaries in the 
Dublin municipal gallery of art, and urging history to judge him not on 
this or that isolated deed but to:

     Think where man's glory most begins and ends;
     And say my glory was I had such friends.
  Mr. President, I, and many others, are most grateful to be able to 
call Senator Kennedy both a colleague and a friend.
  In recognition of the honor he received last week from the American 
Ireland Fund, Mr. President, I ask that the remarks he gave that 
evening be printed in the Record.
  The remarks follow:
       Thank you, Chris Dodd and Orrin Hatch, for those kind 
     words. Bertie Ahern, Kingsley Aikens, Loretta Brennan 
     Glucksman, Father Gerry Creedon, friends, family--and fellow 
     immigrants!
       I just wish my parents could have been here. Mother would 
     have loved everything you said--and Dad wouldn't have 
     believed a word of it!
       There's an old Irish saying that half the lies your 
     opponents tell about you are not true.
       But when your friends tell lies like that--it's beautiful.
       It is an especially great honor to accept this award in the 
     presence of so many of those who were essential to the 
     success of the Good Friday Agreement.
       The shamrock has three leaves, and I'm convinced that the 
     peace agreement would never have been possible without the 
     strong support at all the critical moments of the three 
     greatest friends of Ireland in America--President Bill 
     Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and our truly indispensable 
     peacemaker, Senator George Mitchell.
       I welcome Bertie Ahern back to Washington. He deserves 
     great credit for his own leadership during the peace 
     negotiations and in the succeeding months.
       I also pay tribute to the leaders of the Northern Ireland 
     political parties who are here--John Hume and Seamus Mallon, 
     Gerry Adams, David Trimble, Lord Alderdice, and Monica 
     McWilliams. And I especially congratulate John Hume and David 
     Trimble for the well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize.
       I also welcome Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mo 
     Mowlam. And I salute Prime Minister Tony Blair, and many 
     other Irish and British officials for their courage and 
     determination not only in reaching the peace agreement, but 
     in moving it forward, inch by inch, day by day.

[[Page S3296]]

       I'm reminded of the lines of Robert Frost that President 
     Kennedy loved, ``I have promises to keep, and miles to go 
     before I sleep.''
       I am very grateful for this honor and my heart is very full 
     this evening. In truth, I owe a great deal to two others in 
     our family--my sister Jean, the Ambassador who won the hearts 
     of the Irish people all over again for our family. She made 
     her own indispensable contributions to the peace process, and 
     I know how much she looks forward to working with all of you 
     on the Irish Festival she's planning at the Kennedy Center a 
     year from now.
       And, of course, my brother Jack. In fact, it's because of 
     President Kennedy that all of us are here this evening. 
     During his visit to Ireland in 1963, he joined with President 
     de Valera in creating the American Irish Foundation, to 
     encourage closer ties between Irish Americans and Ireland.
       A quarter century later, the merger with Tony O'Reilly and 
     Dan Rooney's Ireland Fund created the world's largest private 
     organization supporting constructive change in all of 
     Ireland, North and South. So I say to all of you, well done--
     Erin Go Bragh!
       Jack would have enjoyed this evening. He was always ready 
     to share his love of Ireland and all things Irish, especially 
     with those, like so many of us, who have the map of Ireland 
     on our faces. And he would have admired your skill in turning 
     our ties of heritage and history into practical avenues of 
     peace and prosperity for both our peoples.
       The bonds between America and Ireland have flourished from 
     the beginning. There might never have been a United States of 
     America without the timely support from Ireland two centuries 
     ago. As President Kennedy told the Doil on his visit to 
     Ireland in 1963, Irish volunteers played so dominant a role 
     in our Revolutionary Army that Lord Mountjoy lamented in the 
     British Parliament, ``We have lost America through the 
     Irish.''
       It is often forgotten that more than half of the 44 million 
     Americans of Irish descent are Protestant. The impact on 
     America of Scotch-Irish settlers from what is today Northern 
     Ireland was profound. They made and continue to make immense 
     contributions to our country. Andrew Jackson was of Ulster 
     Presbyterian stock, and proud of it. Eleven other Presidents 
     of the United States were of Scotch-Irish heritage, including 
     President Clinton.
       Now, in our own day and generation, by facilitating the 
     peace process, Irish Americans have a priceless opportunity 
     to give something back to Ireland in return for all that 
     Ireland has given us.
       To the Unionists in Northern Ireland, we say that we are 
     your brothers and sisters, not your enemies. The vast 
     majority of Irish Catholics in America bear you no ill-will. 
     Our hope is that as your ancestors did for America, you will 
     help to lead the way to peace for Northern Ireland.
       Many able leaders in the past devised what they thought 
     were lasting solutions for Ireland. We know the high price 
     that Ireland--and Britain, too--have paid because of those 
     failed solutions and the endless seeds of repression, famine, 
     partition and violence they sowed.
       It is the clear lesson of that tragic history that no 
     settlement will last unless it is based on equality and 
     mutual respect. These are the twin pillars of peace. The 
     Nationalist community will never accept a role of 
     subservience to Unionism. And the Unionist community will 
     never accept a role of subservience to Nationalism.
       We know how far we have already come towards these goals 
     because of the Good Friday Agreement. People on both sides in 
     Northern Ireland understand that progress best of all, 
     because they see the true meaning of peace in their lives and 
     their communities. The ascent to a peaceful future is nearly 
     won, and they know how much is at risk. They are determined 
     not to slide backward into the violent past--and they reject 
     political leadership that would take them back.
       We talk of a thirty-year conflict. But its roots go back 
     not 30 years, but 300 years, not one generation but 10 
     generations, before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock.
       The Good Friday Agreement is the best new beginning of all 
     those 300 years, and the people of Ireland and Northern 
     Ireland know it. It was endorsed by decisive votes in both 
     parts of Ireland as a clear mandate to their leaders, and 
     history will not deal kindly with any leader who fails this 
     test, or any others who return to the bomb and the bullet.
       The task now facing the Irish and British Governments and 
     political leaders in Northern Ireland is to build greater 
     momentum for full implementation of the Agreement. Clearly, 
     there has been welcome recent progress. Last month, the 
     Northern Ireland Assembly approved the designation of the 
     Northern Ireland Departments and the group of cross-border 
     bodies. Last week, Britain and Ireland signed historic 
     treaties for closer ties.
       Further progress in these areas is dependent on full 
     implementation of all aspects of the agreement. We commend 
     the work of General de Chastelain's independent commission on 
     decommissioning, and we look forward to the important 
     meetings taking place this week in Washington and in the 
     weeks ahead.
       Inevitably, there will be new difficulties beyond this 
     current one. But implementation of the Agreement offers the 
     best way forward and the best yardstick to judge the policies 
     and actions of all involved. The goal of peace is best served 
     by prompt action on the Agreement. Those who take risks for 
     peace can be assured of timely support by President Clinton, 
     Congress, and the American people.
       Not all the guns have remained silent. The carnage 
     inflicted on the town and people of Omagh last August was a 
     grim reminder that, in spite of all that has been achieved, 
     there are still some who subscribe to violence. As recently 
     as yesterday, the cowardly murder of Rosemary Nelson reminds 
     us anew of the urgency of our task. The horror of these 
     atrocities unites all the people of Ireland and Great 
     Britain, and friends of Ireland everywhere, in a 
     determination that such tactics of terrorism will never again 
     be tolerated or condoned
       Sectarian attacks, punishment beatings, and other acts of 
     violence must also stop. They serve only to inflame division, 
     recrimination and pressures to respond in kind. Resort to 
     violence is unacceptable. It is time to say enough is enough 
     is enough is enough. It is time to replace hate with hope.
       We see the signs of progress in many ways. There is growing 
     confidence that a new police organization will soon be born 
     in Northern Ireland, capable of attracting and deserving the 
     support of all parts of the community. The Patten Commission 
     has a mandate to produce these new arrangements for fair law 
     enforcement, accountable to and fully representative of the 
     society. Its report is due this summer. So progress on this 
     critical issue is being made.
       Prisoners have been released. The British have reduced 
     their troop levels to the lowest point in twenty years. 
     Surely, only those for whom too long a sacrifice has made a 
     stone of the heart can fail to see that the future lies with 
     peace.
       We are heartened by the establishment of the Human Rights 
     Commissions and we look forward to close cross-border co-
     operation on these vital issues. We also count on early 
     progress on the review of the criminal laws, and the 
     dismantling of emergency legislation.
       As preparations for the 1999 marching season begin, the 
     situation at Drumcree remains disturbing. We call on all 
     involved to respect and uphold the decisions of the Parades 
     Commission, and to recognize that progress can only be made 
     on the basis of negotiation and agreement.
       The Ireland of our dreams is no longer a poor country. The 
     dark side of emigration from Ireland now belongs to history. 
     There is still poverty in Ireland, as there is in America. 
     But we are witnessing one of the great miracles of economics, 
     as the romantic Ireland of the past transforms itself into 
     the high-tech Ireland of the future. Yeats would have 
     appreciated it. In Easter 1916, a terrible beauty was born. 
     At Easter 1999, an entrepreneurial beauty is being born 
     before our very eyes.
       But the modern transformation of Ireland also means that we 
     can no longer rely on the naturally renewing ties between 
     Ireland and America created by successive waves of 
     immigrants. We must work together all the harder, therefore, 
     on both sides of the Atlantic to keep our ties strong and 
     vital. The growth of student educational exchanges between 
     our youth can have a primary role --through college Junior 
     Years Abroad, in summer schools, in the Mitchell and 
     Fulbright Scholarships, and in the expansion of Irish Studies 
     in American universities and American Studies in Ireland.
       Important though economic performance is, the challenges of 
     the twenty-first century will come increasingly in the realm 
     of the mind, the spirit, and the imagination, where Ireland's 
     strengths are especially great. In an increasingly global 
     world, the contributions of peoples and nations will be 
     measured by how well they enrich our common humanity. Ireland 
     has enormous potential to be one of the brightest stars in 
     this new worldwide firmament, and this challenge is an area 
     in which the American Ireland Fund is playing a vigorous and 
     impressive role.
       Starting before World War II, it was the custom of Eamon de 
     Valera to speak to his Irish kinfolk in other lands, 
     especially in the United States, and to tell them year by 
     year on St. Patrick's Day of the progress being made to build 
     the Ireland of our dreams--an Ireland, he said, that ``is 
     destined to play, by its example and its inspiration, a great 
     part as a nation among the nations.'' His dream has long been 
     our dream too, and how beautiful it is to see it coming true, 
     as we dedicate ourselves anew to one of the truly great 
     friendships in human history, the friendship of America and 
     all of Ireland.
       In closing, let me say a final word to our friends from 
     Northern Ireland who are here. It is natural that we focus on 
     the problems of the moment. But we do not overlook all that 
     is good about your land--the ability of the people, their 
     remarkable work ethic, their culture, and the vast potential 
     of both communities that will be unleashed by a peaceful 
     future.
       We know the achievements of your leadership, which have 
     brought you to this threshold of that future. President 
     Kennedy would call you profiles in courage twice over--for 
     your political courage in facing this extraordinary 
     challenge, and for your very real personal courage in facing 
     physical danger every day.
       You've been asked to do a great deal already, and you've 
     done it well. Now, you're asked to do even more, because we 
     know you will not fail. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they 
     shall be called the children of God. Thank you very 
     much.




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