Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1252750
label
3/17/76 - Remarks Upon Proposing a Toast to Prime Minister Cosgrave of Ireland at a State Dinner in Commemoration of St. Patrick's Day
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1252750
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
3/17/76 - Remarks Upon Proposing a Toast to Prime Minister Cosgrave of Ireland at a State Dinner in Commemoration of St. Patrick's Day
citationUrl
collections
President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
subjects
Ireland
Dinners and dining
Speeches, addresses, etc.
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1252750
coverageEndDate
day
17
logicalDate
1976-03-17
month
3
year
1976
coverageStartDate
day
17
logicalDate
1976-03-17
month
3
year
1976
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
f1414e0387190b27
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box 26, "3/17/76 - Remarks Upon Proposing a Toast
to Prime Minister Cosgrave of Ireland at a State Dinner in Commemoration of St.
Patrick's Day" of the President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald
R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
-I-
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
MR. PRIME MINISTER, MRS, COSGRAVE,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
MRS. FORD AND I HAVE HAD THE LUCK OF THE
AMERICANS TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS EVENING
Digitized from Box 26 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
YOU HAVE BEEN IN OUR COUNTRY BEFORE AND ARE OUR
FRIENDS
BUT ON THIS VERY SPECIAL DAY, WE HAVE
HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU ON YOUR FIRST
VISIT AS PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND
-3-
ON THIS ST. PATRICK'S DAY OF THE UNITED
STATES' BICENTENNIAL YEAR, ALL AMERICANS KNOW THERE IS
MORE THAN A BIT OF GREEN IN THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
1
OF AMERICA
-4-
WE HONOR THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION AND THE GREAT
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE IRISH TO AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
AND GROWTH
-5-
NO COUNTRY COULD BE MORE WELCOME OR
ENTITLED TO JOIN IN OUR BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION THAN
IRELAND
WE ARE PROUD OF THE IRISH CHAPTER IN THE
DEVELOPMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
-6-
THE HIGH PROPORTION OF IRISH-AMERICANS IN GEORGE
WASHINGTON'S ARMY IS NO BLARNEY, I CAN ASSURE YOU
AS I OB SERVED THIS MORNING -- ELEVEN SIGNERS OF THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WERE IRISH-AMERICANS,
-7-
THE WHITE HOUSE ITSELF,
WHERE WE MEET TONIGHT,
WAS
DESIGNED BY A NATIVE OF KILKENNY, JAMES HOBAN, IN
1792
-8-
WE ARE TOLD BY YOUR HISTORIANS THAT THE
IR ISH MAY EVEN HAVE HAD A HAND IN DISCOVERING AMERICA
ST BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR MAY HAVE CROSSED THE ATLANTIC
IN THE SIXTH CENTURY
-9-
I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF YOUR HARDY COUNTRYMEN WILL
ATTEMPT THE SAME CROSSING THIS MAY IN A BOAT LIKE
ST. BRENDAN'S
WE WILL WELCOME THEM TO
THE IRISH-DESIGNED WHITE HOUSE
-10-
THE IRISH CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICA IS
NOT RESTRICTED TO THE PAST
TODAY, SOME 20 MILLION
IRISH-AMERICANS ARE BUILDING ENERGETICALLY ON THE
GREAT LEGACY OF THEIR ANCESTORS
-II-
THEY ARE HELPING OUR COUNTRY TO MAKE EVEN GREATER
ACHIEVEMENTS AS WE ENTER OUR THIRD CENTURY
-12-
MANY DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS OF IRISH
HERITAGE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO HONOR YOU
THEIR
CONTRIBUTIONS ARE IN ALL FIELDS OF ENDEAVOR:
EDUCATION,
MEDICINE,
RELIGION,
THEATER,
THE LAW,
THE ARTS,
THE
BUILDING TRADES, AND BUSINESS
-13-
BUT NOWHERE HAVE AMERICANS OF IRISH DESCENT BEEN
MORE PROMINENT THAN IN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- I4 -
THE IRISH HAVE THAT LOVE OF PEOPLE
GIFT
OF LANGUAGE,
WARMTH OF HEART
AND CAPACITY OF
COURAGE THAT MAKES THEM GRAND COMPETITORS
-15-
WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE LONG FRIENDSHIP AND
KINSHIP OF THE IRISH AND AMERICAN PEOPLES
BUT
WHILE HONORING THE PAST, WE FACE THE CHALLENGE OF THE
FUTURE
16
AS WE VALUE YOUR FRIENDSHIP, SO WE VALUE COOPERATION
WITH YOU ON THE GREAT ISSUES OF OUR TIME
-17-
YOUR VISIT AND THE TALKS WE HAVE HAD ARE OF IMPORTANCE,
NOT ONLY FOR AMERICAN-IRISH RELATIONS,
/
BUT FOR OUR
EFFORTS TO WORK TOGETHER ON ISSUES CONFRONTING THE
ENTIRE WORLD COMMUNITY
- 18 - -
IRELAND HAS MUCH TO GIVE THE WORLD
POSSESSED OF AN ANC IENT CIVILIZATION AND RICH CULTURE,
THE IRISH ARE DEVOTED
AS WE ARE
\
TO DEMOCRACY,
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM,
AND CONSTRUCTIVE PARTICIPATION
IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
-19-
IRELAND IS A LEADER IN THE QUEST FOR A JUST
PEACE AMONG NATIONS
YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED ACTIVELY
AND EFFECTIVELY TO THE UNITED NATIONS
YOU HAVE DONE
MUCH TO PERFECT UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
-20-
DISTINGUISHED IRISHMEN HAVE SERVED AS
PRESIDENTS OF BOTH THE UNITED NATIONS AND ITS
PREDECESSOR THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
-21-
MORE RECENTLY, IRELAND HAS TAKEN ITS PLACE
AS A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
WE DEEPLY
APPRECIATE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT OF CLOSE CONSULTATIONS
BETWEEN THIS COMMUNITY AND THE UNITED STATES DURING
YOUR SERVICE AS ITS PRESIDENT
-22-
MR. PRIME MINISTER, I KNOW FROM OUR
DISCUSSIONS TODAY, THAT WE ARE BOTH DETERMINED TO
EXPAND THE EXCELLENT RELATIONS OF OUR TWO COUNTRIES
-23-
WE HAVE DEDICATED OURSELVES TO PEACE AND
PROGRESS FOR OUR NATIONS AND ALL PEOPLES, WITH A
FIRM COMMITMENT TO COOPERATE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND
WITH ALL HUMANITY TO SOLVE COMMON PROBLEMS
- 24 -
THAT IS IN THE FINEST TRADITION OF THIS
WONDERFUL DAY WHICH IS DEDICATED TO ST. PATRICK
I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT TODAY IS NOT ONLY A GREAT DAY
FOR THE IRISH BUT IT HAS ALSO BEEN A GREAT DAY FOR
MRS. FORD AND FOR ME
- 25 -
THANK YOU MR. PRIME MINISTER, AND
MRS. COSGRAVE FOR SHARING ST. PATRICK'S DAY WITH
US AND WITH ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
-26-
I NOW ASK YOU ALL TO JOIN IN A TOAST TO THE
PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND AND TO THE SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP
BETWEEN IRELAND AND THE UNITED STATES
PAST
PRESENT
AND FUTURE, AND TO ALL THE IRISH EVERYWHERE
END OF TEXT