Barack Obama

“ When Abraham Lincoln struggled to preserve our young union, more than one hundred thousand Irish and Irish Americans joined the cause, with units like the Irish Brigade charging into battle, green flags with gold harp waving alongside our star-spangled banner. When depression gripped America, Ireland sent tens of thousands of packages of shamrocks to cheer up its countrymen, saying, "May the message of Erin shamrocks bring joy to those away." ”

“ When President Clinton said at this very spot 15 years ago, "Waging peace is risky", I think those who were involved understood the risks they were taking but you, the Irish people, persevered, and you cast your votes, and you made your voices heard for that peace, and you responded heroically when it was challenged, and you did it, as President McAleese has written, "For all the apparent intractability of our problems, the irrepressible human impulse to love kept nagging and nudging us towards reconciliation." ”

“ It's the dream that Falmouth Kearney was attracted to when he went to America. It's the dream that drew my own father to America from a small village in Africa. It's a dream that we've carried forward, sometimes through stormy waters, sometimes at great cost, for more than two centuries. And for my own sake, I'm grateful they made those journeys because if they hadn't you'd be listening to somebody else speak right now. And for America's sake, we're grateful so many others from this land took that chance, as well. After all, never has a nation so small inspired so much in another. ”

“ And as they worked and struggled and sacrificed and sometimes experienced great discrimination, to build that better life for the next generation, they passed on that faith to their children and to their children's children — an inheritance that their great-great-great grandchildren like me still carry with them. We call it the American Dream. ”

“ Our greatest triumphs, in America and Ireland alike, are still to come. And, Ireland, if anyone ever says otherwise, if anybody ever tells you that your problems are too big, or your challenges are too great, that we can't do something, that we shouldn't even try, think about all that we've done together. Remember that whatever hardships the winter may bring, springtime is always just around the corner. ”

“ Whenever peace is challenged, you will have to sustain that irrepressible impulse, and America will stand by you, always. America will stand by you always in your pursuit of peace. And, Ireland, you need to understand that you've already so surpassed the world's highest hopes that what was notable about the Northern Ireland elections two weeks ago was that they came and went without much attention. ”

“ It has become real. A dream has turned to reality because of the work of this nation.
Obama waves following his address In dreams begin responsibility. And embracing that responsibility, working toward it, overcoming the cynics and the naysayers and those who say "you can't" — that's what makes dreams real. That's what Falmouth Kearney did when he got on that boat, and that's what so many generations of Irish men and women have done here in this spectacular country. That is something we can point to and show our children, Irish and American alike. ”

“ Obama: Go Bulls — I like that. We got some Bulls fans here. Now, of course, an American doesn't really require Irish blood to understand that ours is a proud, enduring, centuries-old relationship; that we are bound by history and friendship and shared values. And that's why I've come here today, as an American President, to reaffirm those bonds of affection. ”