Formal Welcome Remarks
Lisbon Town Hall, Portugal, 9th December 2015
Your Excellencies,
Mayor Medina,
Members of the Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured indeed to be here today to receive the key of Lisbon, one of Europe’s oldest and most historic cities, founded, as myth has it, by Ulysses himself, whose name is so closely linked with our own capital city, Dublin, through the writings of James Joyce.
This is a highlight of my State Visit to your beautiful country, a country which has contributed so much to the enrichment of European history and culture. This ceremony today is a testament to the importance of the Irish-Portuguese relationship and is deeply appreciated by me, and by the Irish people.
Lisbon has always been at the heart of that relationship. This fine city is auspiciously positioned at the mouth of a great river and, with a large and safe port, has its face firmly set to the powerful Atlantic Ocean. Lisbon has always been a springboard to the wider world beyond - a place of imagination and endeavour.
The Irish have been welcomed in Lisbon for centuries. The earliest Irish names are recorded as soldiers in the garrison of the Castelo São Jorge. During a terrible time in Ireland’s history, when Catholics were prevented from participating in the institutional structures of Irish society, an Irish College was founded here, to educate Irish men, including those preparing for the priesthood. The Irish College operated for two hundred and forty four (244) years, and the building still stands today, a testament to the sanctuary found here by our countrymen.
As we face the global refugee crisis of the present day, it is well to remember that most communities share a history of exile at some stage. Indeed at a different time it was Ireland who welcomed those seeking refuge from Portugal.
In the late fifteenth century, Marrano Jews from Portugal settled on Ireland's south coast. One of them, William Annyas, was elected as Mayor of Youghal, County Cork, in 1555 – the first Jew to hold public office in Ireland. Another, Francis Annyas, became Mayor of Youghal in 1569. Similarly, many of the Irish families who came to Lisbon, as refugees or as merchants, integrated fully into society here, rising to positions of the highest respect.
One thread of the Irish migrant story is still very much visible in Lisbon in the shape of the Convent of Bom Sucesso at Belém, which has been in continuous use as a convent for three hundred and seventy six (376) years and which still houses Irish sisters today. They continue their work with the communities of Lisbon, from the same location in Belém. Their convent stands near the port from which some of the most significant Portuguese voyages of discovery set out. From this port too, generations of fishermen set out having prayed in the chapel of the convent before sailing for the cod fisheries of Newfoundland.
In the early 20th century, Lisbon was also home for a time to Roger Casement, Irish nationalist and humanitarian, who was an early and strong advocate for the universal values of respect for human dignity and individual rights, as well as to the development of humane working conditions for all. He stressed the absolute need for commercial enterprises to be conducted in a manner consistent with human dignity and respect for workers’ rights. These issues, of course, remain current and central to our contemporary debate.
I was fortunate to spend some personal time in Lisbon and its region last Summer. This is a vivacious capital city energised by a vibrant youth, with so much of cultural and heritage significance overflowing from your many magnificent museums into your mosaic stone streets. Mr. Mayor, I congratulate you and your city assembly on your cultural programme. I am impressed in particular by your initiative to bring works of art to everyone in the city. We in Ireland are of course proud too that Lisbon is among the cities which participates in the Greening for St Patrick’s Day, and are eager to build on this to bring more of our culture and traditions to Lisbon’s residents and visitors.
Just as Irish voices can now be heard ever more frequently in the streets of Lisbon, I look forward, as do all Irish people in the different regions of Ireland, to even more Portuguese visiting us in Ireland. They can always be sure of a warm welcome.
Thank you again for the honour you bestow on me and Ireland today.
Go raibh míle maith agat.
Speech at State Banquet
Ajuda Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, 9th December 2015
Mr. President, Mrs. Cavaco Silva, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A Chairde uile,
Firstly I would like to thank you on my own behalf, and on behalf of my wife Sabina, for your very courteous and warm welcome.
It is a great pleasure to be here, in this splendid setting, to have the opportunity of celebrating the centuries of friendship that exist between our peoples, and to look forward to our further sharing of ideas and friendship, far into the future.
The relationship between our two countries has a long and rich history. Our peoples have shared a relationship with the sea, and indeed Irish mythology speaks of the arrival in our country by a group called the Milesians, who it is believed came from the Iberian Peninsula. These contacts, recent science tells us, may have been closer than we once knew – DNA evidence indicates that the Portuguese-Iberian people may have been ancestors to the Gaelic Irish. We are glad to be among family tonight.
Links between our countries continued through the medieval period and into the early modern period, when the flowering of our respective literatures reflected shared preoccupations with themes such as exile, with its multiple perspectives, and the reclamation and the cultural projects of reclamation and rejuvenation of a native language.
This morning I was moved and honoured to lay a wreath at the tomb of one of Portugal’s greatest literary sons, Luís Vaz de Camões. I appreciated greatly the fact that this ceremonial moment in a State Visit takes place at the tomb, not of a soldier or a King, but of a writer.
There is a very strong cultural connection between our two peoples, who are both known for a deeply felt appreciation of art and literature, music and song.
What Irish heart is not moved by the cadences of the Fado, whose plaintive melodies speak to our soul in a similar way to our own Sean Nós tradition. I am aware that the Portuguese believe that your language alone can reflect the concept of “Saudade”. We may not have one word to translate it, but I assure you that the Irish heart experiences it just as you do.
Tomorrow I will visit the site of the most tangible manifestation of the long tradition of our Irish people being welcomed in Portugal and becoming part of Portuguese life - the Dominican Convent of Bom Sucesso.
The Convent, founded by Irishman Father Dominic O’Daly in 1639, and in continuous operation ever since, is a reminder of the endurance of the relationship between Ireland and Portugal, through both turbulent and more peaceful times.
In recent decades Ireland and Portugal have drawn closer, sharing many experiences in the international arena, for example joining the UN on the same day, 60 years ago this very week. Our membership of the European Union has also brought us closer, facing together global political and economic challenges.
Our shared membership has greatly increased the movement of people between our countries. About 750,000 visits are made to Portugal every year by Irish people, and with better air connections that figure is likely to grow. We also welcome many Portuguese visitors to Ireland - not quite as many as 750,000, but we are always ready to welcome more!
Mr. President, as two nations at the periphery of Europe facing the Atlantic, we are both proud nations possessed of a rich cultural heritage that has stood distinct and separate from large powerful neighbours over the centuries. Ireland and Portugal have both made a deep impact on global affairs – and will continue to do so in partnership into the future.
Our history and the deep-felt values of our peoples inform our perspectives on the great challenges of the contemporary moment, including the promise of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing climate change adequately, and achieving equality.
Portugal and Ireland understand at a profound level the distinction between a civilisation of sufficiency and a consumption without responsibility, between hunger and plenty. We understand too the importance of providing a sustainable future with prospects for fulfilment for all of our young people, who are our greatest resource.
As we strive to construct a version of Europe that might be built on providing opportunity and hope to all of the people of Europe, we have the opportunity to do so together and with common purpose.
It remains only for me to invite you all to join me in a toast. To you, Mr. President and Mrs. Cavaco Silva, and to the people of Portugal, I offer my thanks and sincerest good wishes, and invite the company to raise your glasses with an Irish wish for good health – Sláinte!
