[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 11 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[Pages 343-344]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Saint Patrick's Day Shamrock Presentation Ceremony With 
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland

March 16, 2007

    Thank you. Taoiseach, good morning--or should I say, ``top o' the 
morning.'' [Laughter] I'm really pleased that you came back to the White 
House. I'm looking forward to our discussions. And I cannot thank you 
enough for your strong leadership in resolving the issues of Northern 
Ireland, and I stand ready to help.
    I gratefully accept the bowl of shamrocks. I am delighted that you 
have joined us, once again, to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. Saint 
Patrick's Day is an occasion that unites two distinct groups of 
Americans, those who are of Irish descent and those who wish they were. 
[Laughter] Whether they're Irish today or every day, Americans are 
grateful for our country's Irish heritage and the enduring friendship 
that exists between Ireland and the United States is strong.
    The ties that bind our two nations stretch all the way back to our 
country's founding. Ireland gave us at least nine signers of the 
Declaration of Independence and many more who risked their lives to 
defend it. Irish Americans fought valiantly to preserve the Union in our 
Civil War. They helped turn back the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th 
century. And they're fighting bravely in today's war on terror, risking 
their lives to secure a future of freedom and peace for generations to 
come.
    Many of Ireland's sons and daughters came to our shores to escape 
poverty and famine. Once here, they helped us build and strengthen this 
great Nation with their gifts of industry and talent and faith. Irish 
workers built our railroads, our cathedrals, and our cities. Irish 
writers and musicians have enriched our literature and our culture. 
Irish priests and nuns established parochial schools that have helped 
generations of children build lives of prosperity and purpose. And with 
their many contributions, Irish Americans remind us of our heritage as a 
nation of immigrants and our duty to remain a welcoming society.

    In 1783, President George Washington--I refer to him as the first 
George W.--[laughter]--wrote to recent Irish immigrants in New York that 
``America is open to receive the oppressed and persecuted of all 
nations,'' and he expressed his wish that the blessings of equal liberty 
and unrestrained commerce would one day prevail in Ireland.

    Well, today, Ireland is a free, independent, and very prosperous 
nation. Ireland now has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. 
And over the past decade, our two nations have enjoyed a strong and 
growing trade relationship. And as Ireland prospers, a land whose people 
came to America seeking a better life is now attracting to its own 
shores immigrants with those very same dreams.

    It has been said that the Irish, like the presence of God, are to be 
found everywhere. On this Saint Patrick's Day, we're grateful for the 
presence of the Irish in our country. And we are blessed by your 
presence here at the White House, Taoiseach. I thank you for coming to 
help us celebrate Saint Patrick's Day and honor the friendship between 
our two nations. In the words of the Irish proverb, ``May the Lord keep 
you in His hand and never close His fist too tight.'' [Laughter]

    Thanks for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 9:55 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of Prime Minister Ahern.

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