Reception for the Irish Community, Warwick, Queensland

Reception for the Irish Community

Speech by Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

Abbey of the Roses, Warwick, Queensland

Sunday, 22nd October, 2017

Tá áthas orm féin agus ar Saidhbhín an oiread seo de phobal na hÉireann a bheith againn mar chomhluadar anocht. Is é seo ár gcéad cuairt ar an Astráil agus ar Warwick agus gabhaim buíochas ó chroí libh as an fáilte sin a d’fhear sibh romhainn.

[Sabina and I are delighted to see so many from the Irish community here this evening. This is my first visit to Australia and to Warwick and I thank you for the warm welcome we have received].

The Irish nation stretches far beyond the boundaries of our small island state and one of the great pleasures of our visits abroad are the opportunities Sabina and I get to visit and meet with members of our extended Irish family in countries and communities right across the world.

Today is one of those pleasurable occasions and I am very pleased to be able to acknowledge and thank you in person for being such committed and inspiring ambassadors for Ireland here in Warwick.

We Irish can all be proud of the great contribution our Diaspora has made across the generations impacting so positively in the areas of business, public service, education, health, sports and the arts and so many other important areas which lie at the heart of a vibrant society. Your presence here this evening is a testament to that.

Today, over 90,000 Irish-born people live in Australia and 2 million Australians record their ancestry as Irish in your national census. The migratory stories of the many Irish who have travelled to Australia across the decades and the centuries are myriad and complex. They are stories that have created a profound link between our two countries, and a friendship that stretches across the many thousands of miles that separate us. So many of you here today are custodians of those stories, stories that have become an important part of family history. They are also, however, stories that speak of the profound connections which have linked Ireland and Australia across generations and centuries and are critical elements of the fuller story of Irish migration to Australia.

My own family is part of that rich and complex story. When members of my father’s family emigrated to Australia in the late 19th century, it was here in Warwick that they sewed the roots of a new life that would grow and flourish, and would result in the Higgins name becoming deeply woven into the history and life of this town.

It is a story that began in April 1862 when Patrick and Mary Ann Higgins arrived in Queensland, aboard the ‘Montmorency.’ Like so many Irish emigrants, they made their way here to Warwick. Over the years, Patrick, who arrived here as a skilled migrant having attended the Royal Agricultural Society and trained as a ploughman, worked his way from farm worker to farm manager before eventually buying his own farm at Sandy Creek, which I had the great pleasure of visiting earlier today.

Patrick and Mary Ann both married and had large families, first generation Australians who would bear Irish surnames while also making their unique contribution to Australia - the country of their birth.

Across the years many members of my family have been married or christened in St Mary’s Cathedral. Generations have been buried here in Warwick including my aunt Bridget. My uncle died in Southern Queensland and is buried in Toowoomba. Today, a new generation of my family continues the strong connection between family members in Ireland and family members here in Australia, continuing to form the ongoing and interconnected story of our two countries.

President Higgins addressing the Irish community in Warwick, Queensland

As I travelled through this town I thought, also, of the many other families whose names bear witness to a proud Irish heritage. The T.J. Byrnes Monument here in Warwick pays tribute to Thomas Byrnes, the son of impoverished Irish immigrants who came to Queensland in search of a better future.

Thomas Byrnes made a profound contribution to Australian society as Representative for Warwick in the Legislative Assembly before becoming the first Roman Catholic Premier of Queensland. There is no doubt that his untimely death at the age of 38, after just five months in office, was a great loss of the potential of a man dedicated to a life of public service. Nonetheless he has lived on as an inspiring example of triumph over humble origins and his political ideals left their important legacy, and have played their role in shaping modern day Australia.

The greatest link between Ireland and Australia has always been our people. In their different circumstances Irish citizens have travelled to Australia since the beginning of European settlement here and continue to come today to seek out new opportunities. Warwick is home to a thriving and dynamic community, who draw on all that is best about our Irishness while also contributing to a city and country to which you, or your ancestors came as strangers and remained as active and participative citizens.

Today, as President of Ireland I would like to thank the Irish communities who extend a hand of friendship to new waves of emigrants from Ireland, as they too begin new chapters in a country that has welcomed and supported so many of our people. Warwick is no exception and the Irish celebratory, social and cultural events that take place here and across Queensland provide a space of welcome and friendship to new Irish emigrants as they seek to create a fulfilling life in Australia.

As a nation we in Ireland also remain very conscious of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe to those who have left our shores over so many years. Their hard work, and generous support and encouragement to those who remained at home have played a significant role in the shaping and crafting of the modern Ireland

we know today. I am, therefore, always so very pleased to be able to acknowledge and thank in person, the representatives of our Irish communities across the globe who do so much to help each other, to support your homeland in so many ways, and who are such valued ambassadors for Ireland.

The Irish who came to this country have played a crucial part in the forging of a distinct Australian identity. As part of the global Irish diaspora they have also done much to shape the country they left behind. Ireland’s relationship with its diaspora is enshrined in our Constitution which states that “the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.” It is an honour and a privilege to be among you today as we celebrate that special affinity and celebrate our culture and heritage.

In conclusion, agus mar fhocal scoir, is mian liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh as an fíorchaoin fáilte a d’fhear sibh romham féin agus roimh Saidhbhín inniu, agus sibh a mholadh as dea-cháil na hÉireann a scaipeadh anseo san Astráil.

May I thank you for the very generous welcome you have extended to Sabina and me today and thank you once again for being such valued ambassadors for Ireland.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.