Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D. at The Ireland Fund of Great Britain Lunch, in London on Thursday, 3 March 2005

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Chairman of The Ireland Fund for Great Britain, Peter Sutherland;
Director of The Ireland Fund for Great Britain, Aileen Ross;
Joint Chairmen of the London City Luncheon Organising Committee
- John Rowan, Managing Director of Anglo-Irish Bank;
and
- Peter Kiernan, Managing Director of Lazard;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to be with you today. I want to begin by paying tribute to The Ireland Fund of Great Britain. The Ireland Funds, including that of Great Britain, continue to do valuable work. Events like today's lunch are a welcome opportunity for me to acknowledge this and thank you for your generosity.

In this impressive Banqueting Hall, surrounded by so many Irish people who have carved out such notably successful lives, I am struck again by the enormous contribution that Irish men and women have made - and indeed continue to make - at home and abroad.

This is why I am particularly pleased that today you have given so generously of your time and energy to focus on increasing awareness and support for those Irish emigrants who have been less fortunate. This is deeply appreciated.

The successful and vibrant Ireland of today owes a great debt of gratitude to the generations of emigrants who came to Britain. Many made sacrifices by leaving home, often in difficult circumstances, with little support.

Today in more fortunate circumstances, we remember and recognise the invaluable contribution of those generations, both to their families in Ireland and to many places they now call home.

While we recognise the enormous success of so many Irish abroad, including many of you here today, it is also right that we acknowledge those who struggled and encountered difficulties beyond their control. This includes those who found themselves adrift and marginalised. The welfare of those who live, work and contribute to this country is, of course, primarily a matter of concern for the authorities here. Those of us who can help however, should also do our best to assist and care for those who need it most.

Few can appreciate as much as those of you who came to Britain the impact, both positive and negative, of emigration. The moving accounts of emigration to this country capture experiences very distant from that of many of us in this Hall today; experiences of extraordinarily tough work in difficult circumstances, of loneliness and lack of options. We know that some of those who lived this life are now in need of particular support. I understand that today's event will be of direct benefit to many of those people and I am delighted to support it.

Our ability to help emigrants abroad was limited in the past. Our sustained growth and dynamic economy have given this generation many opportunities however, including the option of staying at home. It has also given us the opportunity to support our vulnerable community living abroad.

We are very fortunate that the excellent network of Irish voluntary organisations, which has developed here, reaches out to our community and meets a wide range of needs. I am glad to have this opportunity to express the deep appreciation of the Government to these organisations, and indeed to the many individuals who have worked so hard and so tirelessly to help those in need over many years.

Since 1984, the Irish Government has provided over €22 million to such organisations to support them in their delivery of advice and support services. Over half of this amount has been provided since 2000. In 2005, funding to these organisations in Britain will reach a record figure of €7 million.

This is a clear reflection of our commitment to supporting the organisations working to promote the social inclusion of our community in Britain. We can and we will make further progress in the months and years ahead.

Your presence here today is proof of your close connections to Ireland. It highlights your commitment to helping us in our efforts to develop opportunities for current and future generations at home and abroad.

The role of Irish emigrants, like yourselves in British life, has significantly influenced the close relations between us. We very much appreciate the important contribution which you have made, including the valuable contribution of organisations such as The Ireland Fund to the development of better relations. Indeed the relations between Ireland and Britain have never been better. We are full partners in the peace process in Northern Ireland and we work together very closely in the European Union. Our trade and investment relationships are very important to each other economies. And our relations have matured to the extent that there were no hard feelings when we beat England in Dublin last Sunday!

Perhaps nowhere is the closeness of our relations more evident than in our continuing efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in Northern Ireland. Despite the current difficulties, it is important that we acknowledge the historic transformation that has taken place since the Good Friday Agreement. The principles of consent, partnership, equality and mutual respect enshrined in the agreement are now the clear reference points for a new beginning in relationships on the island of Ireland.

Despite much progress, I would be less than honest if I did not acknowledge that these are very difficult times for the peace process. Trust and confidence have been damaged, and will take time to heal. When I travelled to this city last summer for talks with Prime Minister Blair and the Northern Ireland parties in Lancaster House, we succeeded in identifying the key obstacles to progress and the full implementation of the agreement. Last September in Leeds Castle, we came very close to resolving those issues. We kept the momentum going and in early December, Prime Minister Blair and I published proposals for what we saw as a comprehensive framework for moving forward.

Regrettably, in spite of the substantial progress made, it did not prove possible to reach agreement on the two key issues of decommissioning and ensuring a complete end to all forms of paramilitarism and criminal activity. These issues remain outstanding, but what needs to be done is also clear.

For our part, the Government will continue to engage with the British Government and all the parties to advance all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement. My friend and colleague Prime Minister Blair and I remain totally committed to the full implementation of the Agreement and to bringing the peace process to a successful conclusion. That is what the people of Ireland, North and South, voted for in 1998, and that is what we have worked for everyday since.

We have achieved a very great deal since the Agreement was concluded. It has already been a catalyst for change in crucial areas such as policing, security normalisation, criminal justice, human rights, equality, community relations and language and cultural issues. The quality of daily life for the people of Northern Ireland has been greatly improved. And we have, despite all the setbacks, truly transformed relations between these islands. There can be no going back.

The peace process is a collective responsibility that carries obligations for all of us, the parties as well as the Governments.

We are not seeking to humiliate any group or score political points. We fully respect the mandates of all parties. This is an inclusive process and the Government will continue to work towards an inclusive, comprehensive peace settlement. At the same time, it is essential that everybody abides by the commitment in the Agreement to the inclusive use of democratic and peaceful means.

Our priority now is to resolve the underlying cause of the current difficulties and focus on moving forward with the Agreement. Mutual trust must be rebuilt if we are all to move on to enjoy the full promise and potential of the Agreement, and it is obvious that there can be no room for any form of criminal activity in such a process.

We have seen acts of courage and leadership at other critical junctures in this process. This gives me hope that the final steps necessary to complete our work can and will be taken. Our goal remains the full and final implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and I have no doubt but that working collectively, this can be successfully achieved.

Thank you.

Anglo Irish Bank : main sponsor of the event.

The Ireland Fund of Great Britain
T - 020 7378 8373
E - greatbritain@irlfunds.org