[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 12 (Monday, March 25, 1996)]
[Pages 509-511]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Reception Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day

March 15, 1996

    The President. Thank you very much. And welcome to the White House. 
Happy Saint Patrick's Day. To the Taoiseach and Mrs. Bruton and all of 
our friends from Ireland and my fellow Americans, we are delighted to 
have you here with us again. To our friends from Northern Ireland, party 
leaders John Hume, David Trimble, John Alderdice; the Lord Mayor of 
Londonderry, John Kerr, thank you for traveling all this way to be part 
of this celebration.
    To Senator Mitchell and Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, and to all 
the Irish-Americans here who have played a special role in strengthening 
the bonds between our peoples, let me say to you a very special thank 
you and urge you to redouble your efforts in the days and months ahead.
    I want to say a special word of appreciation, too, to the Irish-
American members of our administration, our Secretary of Education 
Richard Riley; the Director of the Peace Corps, Mark Gearan. And General 
McCaffrey is here; I take it he's elevating his Irish roots today, our 
new drug czar. And since our trip to Ireland, the Secretary of Commerce, 
Ron Brown, has asked for honorary designation--[laughter]--leaving 
himself open to all sorts of unusual historical analogies. [Laughter]
    I want to say to all of you it's no secret that Hillary and I love 
this time of year. This day got off to a very promising start; the 
Taoiseach gave me a bowl of shamrocks. It had two benefits. First of 
all, this being an election year, I need all the shamrocks I can get. 
[Laughter] And secondly, this is the one day of the year when I am more 
green than the Vice President. [Laughter]
    When Hillary and I came home from Ireland, I told her that I didn't 
know whether I would ever have 2 such days like that again in this 
lifetime, but if I didn't, I couldn't imagine two better ones anyway. I 
will never forget the waving sea of Irish and American flags at College 
Green in Dublin, never for- 

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get the relatives I met at the pub in Dublin. [Laughter] I've gotten 
used to meeting unexpected relatives in this job and--[laughter]--it was 
nice to meet some I was genuinely glad to see.
    We can't wait to return President Robinson's hospitality when she 
comes to Washington in June. And we think that today we ought to take 
just a moment once again to celebrate the ties that bind us together.
    In countless ways, Irish-Americans have helped to form the core of 
the American identity, proving that our diversity is our strength and 
reminding us that becoming an American does not mean forgetting your 
roots. Now all Americans of Irish heritage have a great responsibility, 
for in the land of our ancestors, the future is at a crossroads, and 
each of us must do our part to safeguard the promise of peace.
    Over the last year, all of us who care about peace in Northern 
Ireland have shared some dramatic highs and lows. For us here in America 
it has been an emotional roller coaster. For us here in Washington it 
has as well. And I would be remiss if I didn't say a special word of 
thanks to the bipartisan congressional delegation of Irish-Americans who 
have supported the efforts of this administration to forward the cause 
of peace in Ireland.
    Many of them went with the First Lady and me to Ireland, where we 
shared the crowds in Belfast and Derry, the courage of young Catherine 
Hamill and David Sterrit as they joined hands to tell the world what 
peace meant to them. And we were all saddened and outraged by the bombs 
in London that killed innocent people and threatened the peace on which 
so many hopes are riding.
    Now, more than ever, we have to support the people of Northern 
Ireland who have made already and clearly the choice for peace, for 
dialog over division and for hope over fear. The enemies of peace have 
fallen back on the bullet and the bomb, but we must go forward.
    Over the last 3 years I have made an honest effort to listen to all 
sides of this story, and I have come to the conclusion that in Northern 
Ireland, as I have seen in the Middle East and Bosnia, in so many places 
around the world, the deepest divide is not between those with opposing 
backgrounds or faiths or even opposing views. Instead it is between 
those who are willing to find a way to reconcile their differences in 
peace and those who still wish to clench their fists, those who look to 
the future and those who are trapped in the past.
    Will we teach our children to define themselves in terms of what 
they are for or what they are against? Will we teach them to define 
themselves in terms of what they can become or the limits that have been 
put on them by their shared pasts, to be proud of who they are or to 
look down on those who are different from them? These are the decisions 
that face people all over the world, and they face the people of 
Northern Ireland.
    I know and you know, everyone who saw the faces and heard the shouts 
of the people in the Shankill and the Falls know that the people of 
Northern Ireland had chosen peace. And America must support them until 
they find that peace. And so, on behalf of the United States, that is 
the commitment I make again today to the Taoiseach and the people of 
Northern Ireland and to the Prime Minister and the British Government.
    The February 28th announcement by the Irish and the British 
Governments is truly a milestone achievement, and we strongly support 
setting a firm date for all-party talks. Violence has no place. The 
cease-fire must be restored. That is the only way these talks can be 
inclusive, the only way they can be all-party talks.
    We Americans who proudly call ourselves Irish must speak with one 
voice on this issue. We must stand with those who long for lasting 
peace. We must stand with those who have broken with the past and who 
are working for a better future for their children.
    And so on this Saint Patrick's Day, I ask Irish-Americans of all 
traditions to remember the spirit of the saint whose faith triumphed 
over violence and suspicion and to join me in a moment of silence and 
rededication for the peace in Northern Ireland.
    Thank you very much. Happy Saint Patrick's Day. God bless you all, 
and please welcome the Prime Minister.

[At this point, Prime Minister Bruton made remarks.]

[[Page 511]]

    President Clinton. Before we go down to the receiving line, I want 
to say something to you. Our piper, Mr. Blair, and his wife prepared the 
song that we marched down the stairs to. It's called ``Ireland at 
Peace.'' And they did it in a way, fulfilling the responsibility that 
each American has, of Irish heritage, to support that. I thought it was 
a remarkable thing that he and his wife did. It was a lovely melody. You 
heard it when we came down the stairs. And I'd like for you to give him 
a hand. [Applause]
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:10 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Mary Robinson of 
Ireland. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.