Speech by Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, Friendly Sons and Daughters of St Patrick 255th Annual Gala 14 March 2026

A dhaoine uaisle agus a chairde, distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman, dear friends.

It is a great pleasure to be with you this evening as we celebrate St Patrick and his Friendly Sons and Daughters in Philadelphia.

Thank you, Theresa, for those kind words of introduction. Your tenure as the first female President of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St Patrick continues to break boundaries and strengthen our ties.

Through your leadership, generosity and incredible contribution to the community in Philadelphia and beyond – you embody the values of the Society you represent, while ensuring that Ireland’s history in this city is not only remembered, but actively shared and passed on to new generations.

Tonight is a special night. It is your 255th Gala year – there are not many organisations that can match such longevity.

What an achievement for the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St Patrick. Congratulations.

I also want to honour and congratulate our guest speaker this evening Madeline Bell.

Madeline, your leadership in healthcare and commitment to children and families is truly remarkable and demonstrates the values and charitable mission of the Friendly Sons and Daughters that we are celebrating here tonight.

My visit to Philadelphia is regrettably short, but even today, I have been amazed by the depth and enduring connections of the Irish American community.

It is clear that St Patrick’s Day is not just a day here, but a whole season of celebrations.

I am especially looking forward to marching in the parade tomorrow alongside the community.

As a representative of the Irish Government, it’s always a great source of pride to attend events around the world for St Patrick’s Day and to see first-hand the achievements of our diaspora community and the love they still hold for Ireland.

It’s that connection to home that makes the Irish community so impactful across the world and has been clearly evident to me in Philadelphia.

It is driven by the efforts of your society and through the contributions of everyone in this bright and talented Irish American community.

That connection was clear to see this morning when, I laid a wreath at Philadelphia’s Great Hunger Memorial.

A monument to one of Ireland’s darkest periods in our history and a reminder of the many thousands of Irish people who found a new home, new opportunities and community in this city.

Many of whom who found support and fraternity in this great Society.

It was also clear when I opened the Irish Diaspora Center’s new premises in Havertown.

This is a fantastic new facility that will enable the Centre to expand its vital work in serving the Irish and Irish American community in the region.

From speaking with the community members and service users at the opening, it was easy to see the connection and love they still have for Ireland.

And those connections were on full display earlier at Villanova University – an institution founded by Irish monks that retains its strong links to Ireland through its sporting and academic programming.

Education has always been a great driver of connection, understanding and relationship building.

I want to acknowledge the Friendly Sons & Daughters for the support you provide through your scholarships to Villanova, St Joseph’s and Temple among others, all universities that Ireland is proud to call partners.

Philadelphia, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have long been a cornerstone of Irish-American life. Whether politically, economically, culturally, and socially.

Irish workers built its canals, its railroads, and its industries. Irish families shaped its neighbourhoods, its parishes, and its civic institutions.

Irish values, community, solidarity, and resilience became part of the fabric of this state.

That contribution continues today in ways both historic and modern.

It continues through sport, culture and business, largely driven by the people in this room tonight.

Ireland’s relationship with America is one of our most important and one that we continue to invest in.

The U.S. is Ireland’s largest trading and investment partner.

The economic benefits flow both ways, creating prosperity and jobs for large numbers of people on both sides of the Atlantic.

Our latest study of Ireland’s economic impact in the United States shows that, across the 50 States, more than 200,000 people are employed by almost 800 Irish companies.

Ireland is now the fifth largest source of foreign direct investment in the U.S., with investment by Irish companies valued at $390 billion.

In Pennsylvania, 12,000 jobs have been created by Irish companies, with 8,500 people in Ireland employed by Pennsylvanian firms.

Combined bilateral trade between Ireland and Pennsylvania is valued at over $9 billion. These are impressive numbers and ones that we want to see continue to grow.

I know that there are challenges but let me assure you our commitment to the United States is steadfast.

As a small open economy, our position is to support open, rules-based trade, and to keep the transatlantic partnership steady - because it underpins critical jobs and investment on both sides of the Atlantic.

A chairde,

In this historic year, as America marks 250 years of independence, there is no city I would rather be in to celebrate Ireland’s national day, than Philadelphia – a city synonymous with America’s revolutionary period and its fight for independence.

And what better group to commemorate this milestone with than the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St. Patrick. A society older than America itself.

A society that from day one has been non-denominational and a welcome home for all from across the island of Ireland.

A society whose founders and members played such vital roles in the foundation of this country.

I think of Thomas Fitzsimons, Thomas Barclay, George Mead, Generals Anthony Wayne, William Irvine, Richard Butler, William Thompson, Edward Hand, John Cadwalader and Henry Knox, Colonel Walter Stewart, and Commodore Barry and numerous others who went on to have distinguished roles in the Army, Navy, Cabinet, and Congress.

It is quite a roll call.

And of course, I must give special mention to my fellow Corkonian and first President of your esteemed society, General Stephen Moylan - one of the most remarkable Irish figures in the founding story of the United States.

Moylan came to this city as a young man and quickly became embedded in Philadelphia’s commercial and civic life.

Never forgetting where he came from, he was a driving force behind the founding of a society whose aim was to aid others who followed in his footsteps.

When revolution came, Moylan did not stand aside. Instead, he placed his talents, his loyalty, and ultimately his life at the service of a new idea. That idea was the United States of America.

As President of the Friendly Sons, Moylan had been instrumental in the design of the Society’s Gold Medal – a medal that featured depictions of Hibernia and America whose hands are joined by Lady Liberty as she stands between them, with one word underneath – Unite.

It is thought that Moylan’s medal may have inspired him when he later came to use “the United States of America” as the country’s name – understood to be the first use of the term in writing.

The values he chose to represent have encapsulated the tapestry of relationships and connections that have defined the Irish American relationship ever since.

Moylan’s life embodied the dual loyalty that has defined Irish-American history: devotion to the ideals of America, and an enduring connection to Ireland.

That dual loyalty has been present in generations of Irish Americans ever since and has underpinned Ireland’s relationship with America for the past two and half centuries.

It has helped shape Irish America and is foundational to Irish America’s sense of community, purpose and connection to Ireland.

When ships arrived from Ireland carrying emigrants fleeing famine and hardship, it was Irish America in this city, in Boston, in New York and many other places that met them at the docks.

That network of welcome and solidarity is one of the great moral achievements of Irish America.

From famine relief to the long road toward peace in Northern Ireland, to more recent challenges such as Brexit and its consequences, Irish America has never forgotten Ireland and has been a consistent champion and supporter of our island.

There is an old Irish proverb - "Ní neart go cur le chéile" - There is no strength without unity.

It speaks to the importance of working together, supporting one another and that true strength does not come from working alone.

Perhaps, reaching back to that historic time, it may even have been the source of inspiration behind Moylan’s medal design.

While we may never know, we can tonight, honour that sentiment. Let us honour the connection and values that have defined Ireland and America’s relationship for the past 250 years.

Let us also honour the generations that have come to this country to find opportunity and build a new life – who made it easier for those who followed.

Let us honour all of you and your commitment to your heritage and the mutual connections between our two countries.

Finally, let me end by wishing you all a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day, or as we say in Irish:

Beannachtaí na Féile Padraig oraibh agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.