    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [March 17, 2008]
    [Pages 383-385]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Saint Patrick's Day Shamrock Presentation Ceremony With
    Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland
    March 17, 2008

        Taoiseach, thanks. Small island, huge impact on the United States of
    America. [Laughter] Laura and I are glad you're
    here. We welcome you back to the White House on this Saint Patrick's
    Day. I can't think of a better way to celebrate it than with the
    Taoiseach. Thanks for the bowl of shamrocks. As you said, this is the
    eighth time I had the honor of receiving this from you. And I want to
    thank you for your friendship--your personal friendship--and all you've
    done to strengthen the deep and lasting bond between our two nations.
        Also proud to be here with John O'Donoghue, the Speaker of the Dail. Welcome. Members of my Cabinet
    who are here, thank you for coming. Members of the United States Senate
    and the United States Congress who've joined us, we're glad you're here.
    And I know the Taoiseach is glad you're here too. [Laughter] He was
    asking me, ``Are you in session?'' I said, ``No, they're out of town.''
    He said, ``Well, you must be feeling better about that.'' [Laughter]
    We'll be having lunch with you soon.
        How about members of the fire department of New York's Emerald
    Society? I thank you for coming. They proudly carry the title ``New
    York's bravest'' and rightly so.

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        And finally, I will be introducing soon Ronan Tynan to entertain us a little bit. He is a wonderful
    representative of your country. He's a dear friend of the Bush family,
    and we're so thankful he is here with us today.
        You know, Taoiseach, you were awfully diplomatic to talk about the
    fact that the architect came back to rebuild the White House after 1814.
    What, of course, you didn't say was why the White House needed to be
    rebuilt in the first place. [Laughter] And so I'm proud to welcome the
    Ambassador from Great Britain, our dear
    friend. [Laughter] Thanks for coming.
        I don't know if you know this, but America held its first Saint
    Patrick's Day celebration in Boston in the year 1737. I don't think you
    were there, Congressman, but--[laughter]--shortly thereafter. [Laughter]
    Nearly 40 years later, in the midst of the Revolution, at least 9 of the
    56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence were inked by Irish
    hands.
        We've had a long relationship, Taoiseach. Our history has been one
    where the United States and Ireland have made liberty our common cause,
    and both of our nations are richer for it. Our partnership is based upon
    principles, and it's also based upon people. Ireland founded itself--
    found itself in the grip of poverty and famine in the 19th century, and
    millions of Irish came here to our soil. They were drawn here by a
    promise that success would be attainable to all those who were willing
    to work hard. And that's certainly what happened.
        It's an interesting poster that somebody brought to my attention
    that said this: ``In the United States, an industrious youth may follow
    any occupation without being looked down upon, and he may rationally
    expect to raise himself in the world by his labor.'' You know,
    occasionally, people did look down, but not anymore, because Irish have
    been unbelievably productive people for the United States of America.
    They've made a huge contribution. They've become an essential thread in
    the American fabric.
        And that's what we celebrate on Saint Patrick's Day. Our countries
    are more than just partners; we are family, Taoiseach. And today, more
    than 35 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. America is richer for
    every Murphy, Kelly, and O'Sullivan. I should have said McCain, but--
    [laughter]. Well, I just did. [Laughter] After all this history
    together, the United States and the Republic of Ireland continue to
    stand side by side in firm friendship. We were friends in the past,
    we're friends today, and, Taoiseach, I am confident, after my time in
    office, the next President will be friends with Ireland. We are
    cooperating to build prosperous economies and--with vibrant trade and
    sound investment between our countries.
        I want to congratulate the Taoiseach. He was very generous in his
    praise about America's role, previous administration's role--hopefully,
    our role--in helping Northern Ireland have a peaceful future. But,
    Taoiseach, the truth of the matter is, I said on TV in there that you've
    had a steady hand, and you've been supportive. And I do want to applaud
    those who are here who've shown great courage, who've been able to put
    together--put beside--behind them a terrible past and focused on a
    hopeful future. And it was my huge honor, Martin, to welcome you and Dr. Paisley to the Oval Office. It was an historic moment for me,
    personally. And it was really, really positive.
        But I came away with the impression that obviously the United States
    needs to help, and we will. But nothing will happen without clear
    conviction and determination by the folks who live in Northern Ireland.
    And there's more work to be done, Taoiseach. As you said, the devolution
    of policing is important, and we support that. But we can also help by
    sending a clear signal that we're interested in investment
    opportunities. And so the Northern Ireland investment conference in May
    will be held. And I want to repeat what I told the Taoiseach, is that we
    will send a high-level

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    delegation to not only send a signal that we support the efforts of the
    folks in Northern Ireland, but we expect our folks to be able to find
    good investment opportunities--for the good of both.
        And so, Taoiseach, I, like you, marvel at the success that's taken
    place since my short time as President and know full well that more
    progress can and will be made.
        You know, there's an old Irish proverb that says, ``There is no
    strength without unity.'' And so on this Saint Patrick's Day, we can all
    take pride in the way that the United States and Ireland have come
    together to enrich each other in the world.
        My last time as President to have a Saint Patrick's Day with you,
    Taoiseach. Perhaps when we join the ex-leaders club, we'll sit back and
    put our feet up--[laughter]--and talk about the good old times. In the
    meantime, I know you're going to sprint to the finish, as am I, for the
    good of our countries.
        Thank you for coming. God bless the people of Ireland and the United
    States. And now I welcome Ronan Tynan.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:30 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Chairman of the Dail Eireann John
    O'Donoghue of Ireland; FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, which
    performed prior to the remarks; the United Kingdom's Ambassador to the
    U.S. Sir Nigel E. Sheinwald; and First Minister Ian R.K. Paisley and
    Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland. The
    transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included
    the remarks of Prime Minister Ahern.