‘A long history which has caused much pain’
Ladies and Gentlemen, you may not believe me when I say this but funnily enough it is nevertheless true that one of the reasons that I am so pleased to have this chance of returning to Ireland is because I have always felt what can only be described as a sense of affinity with the rhythms of the Irish soul, your sense of spontaneity, the respect for the sacred, which seems to be second nature to you: the inner world of the Irish imagination and your love of nature as the theatre of divine presence.
For me in many ways the ancient land of Ireland does have a remarkable tradition of cultural and spiritual creativity and it can be a powerful magic for some.
Another reason is that I now have an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of the Glencree Centre for Reconciliation, and standing here today I am only too deeply aware of the long history of suffering which Ireland has endured, not just in recent decades but over the course of its history.
It is a history which I know has caused much pain and much resentment in a world of imperfect human beings where it is always too easy to over-generalise and to attribute blame.
For over 30 years the Northern Ireland conflict has destroyed individual lives.
As the violence careered forward it wreaked havoc, but over the lonely years places like Glencree have never ever given up. They are the quiet places that painstakingly fostered understanding, hope and love.
This physical building here symbolises the quiet but strong places in communities and hearts that never let the dream of peace die. Without them the world would lose the tissue of what is truly humane.
We need to remember, ladies and gentlemen, that the underlying meaning of peace is not just the absence of conflict; it is equally a climate in which understanding of others goes beyond caricature and where frozen images of hatred and negativity yield to a new vision of shared values and goodness.
If I may say so, it is also especially heart-warming for me that in its work with people, not only in Ireland generally but more widely in Britain, Glencree is able to symbolise something of the important link which still flourishes through the huge number of Irish people over the years who have come to work and live in England.
The Irish have made a unique and important contribution to Britain, a wonderful warmth of laughter, spontaneity and imagination.
At the end of the day we should never forget that our acquaintance has been long and we can turn that knowing into something new and creative.
We need no longer be victims of our difficult history with each other.
Without glossing over the pain and suffering of the past we can, I believe, integrate our history and memory in order to reap their subtle harvest of possibility.
Imagination, after all, is the mother of possibility.
So let us then endeavour to become subjects of our history and not its prisoners.
In the family of European states, Britain and Ireland, as friends and neighbours, can be of huge assistance to each other. Together we can help to create a new community where gradually vision may replace crass functionalism; where respect for individuality and the indigenous may replace globalisation; and where the invisible and voiceless ones may be seen and sheltered.
So I am so delighted that through the British Embassy it has been possible to support a number of the programmes here in Glencree, and I do hope very much that this assistance to your important work will continue in the years to come.
And I now have the greatest possible pleasure in declaring open these new facilities and, incidentally, I am thrilled as somebody who has a great passion for restoring and converting, these otherwise derelict or special buildings and giving them new lives, to open these new facilities for the Glencree Centre For Reconciliation.