Remarks by Tánaiste Micheál Martin at St Patrick’s Day Reception in Vancouver

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A chairde, is mór an onóir dom bheith libh anocht i Vancouver chun Lá Fhéile Pádraig a cheiliúradh le chéile.

Is diaspóra uathúil agus bríomhar é diaspóra na hÉireann sa chathair seo a bhuí leis an oiread sin daoine óga ó gach cearn den tír a tháinig go hIarthar Cheanada. Ní iontas ar bith é go bhfuil ceann dár ndiaspóra is mó agus óige ar domhan in a chónaí anseo i Vancouver.

Good evening distinguished guests, friends of Ireland.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all and thank you for coming out tonight to mark Ireland’s National Day, St Patrick’s Day 17 March, and Irish Heritage Month.

I want to say a special thank you to our Consul General Cathy Geagan, Vice Consul Máire Ní Chriostail, and their team (Kaiya, Kamilla and Orla) for putting this event together and gathering all of us here for this special occasion.

Over recent years, Ireland has celebrated the centenary of our Independence. We have looked candidly at the complexities of our past.

We have rightly taken pride in the achievements of our ancient nation and our new State.

Now it is time to look forward, and set our course for our second century. That is why our theme this year is ‘Ireland’s Future in the World’.

A world that has very real and serious challenges. Climate change is a source of deep anxiety as well as a new source of conflict. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the terrible events in Israel and Gaza reveal a new phase of insecurity.

My government, is addressing today’s challenges. On climate change, we have set concrete and ambitious targets to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050.

We plan to be a world leader in sustainable food systems. With Ireland’s maritime area seven times the size of its landmass and our location at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, we have enormous potential for offshore renewable energy and a sustainable blue economy.

Ireland wants to give our full support in responding to global challenges. We are investing in the multilateral system that shelters us.

I have been to the fore in calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, unhindered humanitarian access, and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

I have continued and increased our funding for UNWRA and have called urgently for a comprehensive political pathway to allow Palestinians and Israelis to live side-by-side in peace, informed by UN principles and universal human rights. I was heartened and very much welcomed the Canadian government's statement last week when they announced the resumption of their funding to UNRWA.

Ireland has been forthright in condemning Russia’s illegal and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine. We have welcomed Ukrainian over 100,000 refugees to Ireland, now more than 2 percent of our population.

Friends, this year Ireland celebrates 85 years of diplomatic relations with Canada. It is a year to reflect on the extraordinary friendship that we have with Canada. This is a relationship in which we are investing.

In the past five years we have tripled Ireland’s diplomatic footprint in Canada. The Consulate General here in Vancouver in 2028, joining our long established Embassy in Ottawa. Later this week, I will officially open the Consulate General of Ireland in Toronto.

In addition to the fulltime diplomatic presence, Ireland has Honorary Consuls in Calgary, St Johns, and Halifax.

During this visit I am pleased to announce the appointment of a further two more Honorary Consuls, in the Provinces of Alberta and Quebec.

I am delighted to be joined here this evening by Ireland’s new Honorary Consul to Edmonton, Alberta – Colm O’Carroll. He is a Cork man, like myself, and I know he is already doing great work for Ireland in Western Canada and want to congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the best.

Canada was a friend to us throughout the Northern Ireland Peace Process.

Canada was a founder member of the International Fund for Ireland in 1986. Justice Hoyt on the Saville Inquiry, Supreme Court Justice Peter Cory investigating cases of collusion, General John de Chastelain on the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning, and Al Hutchinson on those changes in policing and justice in Northern Ireland, were each indispensable figures as we turned the promise of peace into a reality.

I remember tonight that great friend of Ireland, the late Brian Mulroney, who died recently.

The ties that bind Ireland and Canada are deeper than many realise.

They are celebrated in this Irish Heritage Month. The Irish have been coming here for three hundred years. Their influence on the east coast was profound. Here on the west coast, over 625,000 people in BC claim Irish heritage, as do almost 12% of the population of Canada.

It is true that western Canada was only settled by Europeans after Confederation in 1867. Irish people played key roles in this. William F Butler from Tipperary explored the prairies and wrote the bestseller The Grand Lone Land about his adventures here.

John Palliser from Dublin led the great scientific expedition that opened up Alberta to settlement. John Macoun’s explorations of the flora of prairies made him the founding father of Canadian natural science. Even the Mounties were based on the Royal Irish Mounted Constabulary.

So, our foundations are strong. And, as our new consulates show, we want to build new friendship, into the future.

The Consulate is working closely Ireland’s trade and investment agencies IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to grow our trade and investment relationships in a ‘Team Ireland’ approach.

I am delighted to have representatives from these agencies, and their client companies, here with us this evening.

Vancouver, and the broader Province, is an important source of Foreign Direct Investment for Ireland – 18% of all Canadian IDA Clients originate from British Columbia.

It is wonderful to have representatives of Irish groups and societies here today.

We have Irish community organisations and volunteers who work tirelessly to support the more vulnerable members of our community.

To remember our heritage and culture. To play our music and our national sports, and to share these long and proud traditions with other cultures.

Through our Embassies and Consulates, we enjoy greater collaboration with Irish community groups overseas, with the aim of building long term, sustainable relationships with them.

The government’s Emigrant Support Programme remains at the heart of our diaspora policy. Over the past two decades the Programme has assisted over 850 organisations in some 51 countries with grants totalling over €237 million.

The Irish Community in Vancouver is a special one. You have fantastic organizations and individuals well established here, and you also have the excitement of regularly welcoming new arrivals to the vibrant community.

The incredible growth of the GAA in Vancouver, from one club to nine clubs in ten years, gives a snapshot of the growth of a young Irish community in Vancouver. I am delighted that the Canada National GAA Championships will take place here this summer, and urge you all to support making it a great success.

It is unfortunate that my trip does not allow for my attendance at the CelticFest this weekend, but I hope you can all get out there to support them and enjoy the festivities.

I come away from my visit here with a deep appreciation for the vibrancy and strength of the Irish community in British Colombia. For the ties of history and heritage that bind us to a common heritage and a common set of deeply held values.

Above all, however, I leave with a sense of the potential for this relationship to develop in the future. Be assured of my support as we realise this potential, along with the day-to-day work of Cathy and the team.

That journey to a better future is one that we take with you. Whether you are Irish of heritage and family, or Irish by affinity, or Irish from Ireland, I wish you all a very happy St Patrick’s Day.