[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 12 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Pages 458-459]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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

March 17, 1998

    The President. Thank you very much. Every time Al Gore has a crowd 
like this, he always says, ``Thank you for the standing ovation.'' 
[Laughter] Taoiseach, Miss Larkin, to all of our guests, all the 
ambassadors here, all the Members of Congress, distinguished guests from 
the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and all across the United 
States.
    There are so many Americans here who love Ireland and long for 
peace, I hesitate to mention any, but I must mention two: First, I would 
like to thank our distinguished Ambassador, who has just announced her 
resignation a few months hence, Jean Kennedy Smith. Thank you, ma'am, 
for everything you have done. And I have to thank one other person who 
is in his present position because on one late, very sad night in 1994, 
my legendary powers of persuasion fell flat, and I was unable to 
persuade George Mitchell to run for reelection. He is still trying to 
determine whether, as a consequence, I bestowed upon him a blessing or a 
curse. [Laughter] It's why I always tell him it is, after all, in his 
hands. Thank you, Senator Mitchell, for what you are doing. We 
appreciate that.
    In his inaugural address, President Kennedy proposed a new approach 
to the cold war when he said, ``Let both sides explore

[[Page 459]]

 what problems unite us instead of belaboring those which divide us.'' 
He eloquently insisted civility is not a sign of weakness. If that was 
true for two great, distant, often alien superpowers like the United 
States and the Soviet Union, surely it is true for neighbors in Ireland.
    Tonight we have here in this room representatives, leaders of all 
the parties to the peace talks. It is a great night. I was thinking in 
sort of my impish way that I almost wish I could give them a perfectly 
harmless--perfectly harmless--3-day cold, which would require them all 
to be quarantined in the Green Room. [Laughter] It's not a very big 
room, the Green Room--[laughter]--and we have a lot of parties to the 
talks. So in just 3 days of getting over a cold together, I think all 
these problems would be solved.
    Well, the peace talks won't be that easy, but all of you, you have 
to seize this historic moment. Just think, in just a few weeks, you 
could lift this enormous burden from the shoulders of all the children 
of Ireland.
    It has been said that St. Patrick's Day is the day when the entire 
world wishes it were Irish. Well, when lasting peace finally comes, the 
entire world will rejoice. When I heard the wonderful songs up here, and 
Frank's wonderful reading, and all the eloquence of Irish passion and 
pain and joy came flooding out of the performers, young and old, I was 
reminded of that great line from Yeats, ``In dreams begin 
responsibility.'' All the Irish are dreamers. In the next few weeks, if 
Irish responsibility measures up to Irish dreams, this next year's 
celebration here will be the greatest in the history of this great 
house.
    God bless you.

[At this point, the First Lady introduced Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of 
Ireland, the Taoiseach, who then made brief remarks.]

    The President. We're about to leave. I feel duty bound, because 
there are so many people from Massachusetts here today--[laughter]--to 
tell you that in Massachusetts this is a dual holiday. This is also the 
day when over 200 years ago the British left Massachusetts, so it's 
called Evacuation Day. [Laughter]
    Now, that means that you must evacuate the White House. [Laughter] I 
have to say that so State Secretary Mowlam doesn't think I made an anti-
British slur here. [Laughter] But you needn't leave until 11:59 p.m.--
[laughter]--because it will still be Evacuation Day. [Laughter]
    Enjoy. We love having you here. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Celia Larkin, who accompanied 
Prime Minister Ahern; George J. Mitchell, independent chairman of the 
multiparty talks in Northern Ireland; Pulitzer Prize-winning author 
Frank McCourt; and Marjorie Mowlam, United Kingdom Secretary of State 
for Northern Ireland.