    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 13, 1996]
    [Pages 907-908]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Welcoming President Mary Robinson of Ireland at Fort Myer,
    Virginia
    June 13, 1996

        President Robinson, Mr. Robinson, members of the Irish delegation.
    On behalf of the American people, let me begin by saying to President
    Robinson, Ceade mile failte, a hundred thousand welcomes.

        It is a pleasure for me to return the tremendous hospitality that
    greeted Hillary and me and our American delegation on our visit to
    Ireland last fall. It is difficult to imagine being better received
    anywhere in the world than I was on Dublin's Green. It was a day that I
    will never forget. And I hope that President Robinson and the Irish
    delegation will feel just as welcome here in America today.

        Since its first appearance in the annals of world history, Ireland
    has been a light unto nations. When darkness shrouded Europe 1,500 years
    ago, the learning of the Irish pierced the gloom. And Irish wisdom has
    continued to illuminate Western thought throughout the ages, from Saint
    Patrick to Swift to Yeats to Heaney.

        In recent centuries, Ireland has sent the most brilliant gift of all
    to the world, the gift of its children. No nation has gained more than
    ours from the energy and determination these immigrants have carried
    with them when they departed Ireland's shores. Today, one of every six
    Americans claims Irish heritage. And even the awareness our Nation owes
    to the unwavering spirit of the Irish has brought to our country more
    than we can ever calculate.

        President Robinson, you have spoken so eloquently about the extended
    Irish family abroad and of an Irishness that transcends territory. It
    gives us all great joy that today this Irish family is one.

        In our time, Ireland's beacon shines as brightly as ever and, as in
    the beginning, it shines to the highest values of civilization.
    Ireland's devotion to building peace has made a small nation a great
    example for all the world. In its steadfast search for a just settlement
    in the North, Ireland has spared no effort and never faltered before
    taking a risk for peace.

        The road to peace is almost never straight, and we've all felt the
    setbacks along the way. But just as Ireland has responded to the voices
    of hope in the North, so has America. Today I reaffirm my pledge to the
    people of Ireland: We will do all we can to help to realize the bright
    future of peace that is the birthright of every child of Ireland, North
    and South.

        As they do at home, the Irish stand for peace in many distant lands.
    Every single day for almost four decades, Irish troops have been
    stationed abroad to preserve the peace in such places as the Congo and
    Somalia. At this moment they serve in nine different peacekeeping
    missions. And in Bosnia, members of the Irish Garda are training police
    so that that nation can rebuild itself and, by itself, maintain its
    peace growing now within the borders.

        The United States and Ireland are bound by ties of kinship and
    friendship, commerce and culture. Above all, we share the bonds of
    belief, the determination to see peace take root and freedom prevail all
    around the world. Today we celebrate these ties. We resolve to
    strengthen them and to work together to see our common hopes realized
    and the lives of our citizens improved.

        This is a happy day for America because in the hearts of so many
    Americans we have a special place for Ireland, and because we know that
    when we work with Ireland, we can make the world a better place.

        President Robinson, welcome to the United States.

    [[Page 908]]

    Note: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. at Summerall Field. In his
    remarks, he referred to President Robinson's husband, Nicholas Robinson.