Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 / Mar. 17

NOTE: The President spoke at 7:34 p.m. in the so included the remarks of Vice President Joe East Room at the White House. The transcript Biden. released by the Office of the Press Secretary al-

Remarks at a Saint Patrick’s Day Reception March 17, 2009

The President. Thank you, thank you. Thank I also had the pleasure of meeting First Min- you so much. Good evening, everybody. ister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Audience members. Good evening! Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland, two The President. Welcome to St. Patrick’s Day men who have stood together to chart a historic at the White House. And it seems particularly path towards peace. And they are with us here fitting that we gather tonight in a house that tonight and deserve an extraordinary round of was, after all, designed and built by an Irish ar- applause. chitect. I’ve also met with Sir Hugh Orde, the Chief I want to thank Joe Biden and Jill Biden for Constable of Northern Ireland’s Police Servic- being such great friends to Michelle and myself. es, who is leading the efforts to bring those re- And Joe is an outstanding Vice President. Jill in- sponsible for the recent violence to justice. structs him on how to be an outstanding Vice We’ve all watched this week as the people of President. [Laughter] And Joe’s mother is just a Northern Ireland and their leaders have re- sweetheart, and so her—you know, we’re all sponded nothing short of heroically to those thinking of her as she gets back on the mend. who would challenge a hard-earned peace, and We have had a wonderful day that began by the thoughts and prayers of Americans go out to meeting with a strong friend of the United the families of the fallen. And I want everyone States, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who presented who is listening to know this: that the United us with gifts of shamrocks from the people of States of America will always stand with those Ireland, a symbol of the enduring ties between who work towards peace. And after seeing for- our nations, and a reminder of the everlasting mer adversaries mourning and praying and promise of spring. And he also brought his won- working together, I have never been more con- derful wife Mary, and she has just been extraor- fident that this peace will prevail. dinarily gracious. We are grateful to them. I was mentioning in the other room, it turns out that Today serves, as well, as a solid reminder of the Taoiseach and I have something in com- just how deeply intertwined, how deeply woven mon. Both he and my great-great-great-grand- the ties between our nations are. Irish signa- father—[laughter]—on my mother’s side hail tures are on our founding documents; Irish from County Offaly. My great-great-great- blood has been spilled on our battlefields; Irish grandfather was a bootmaker there, apparently, sweat went into building our greatest cities. and I have been adopted there. I understand Tens of millions of Americans now trace their that I have been invited to a pub there—[laugh- roots back to that little island that has made ter]—to enjoy a pint there. [Laughter] And so such a large impact on America, and I include we’re going to take them up on that offer at myself in that category. some point. For generations, the Irish, along with so Audience members. Hey! many other immigrant and ethnic groups, came President Obama. I also—you can tell these to America equipped often with nothing more are my friends because they cheered about the than faith and an unbending belief that success pint. [Laughter] “Hey!” [Laughter] was possible for all who were willing to work Just a side note, you know, Guinness tastes hard for it. And that, after all, may be the reason very different in Ireland. It is much better. You Americans identify so strongly with the story of guys are keeping the good stuff for yourself. It St. Patrick, the story of believing in the unseen could start a trade dispute. [Laughter] and of making that belief a reality.

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And that’s what the Irish did in this country. Brooklyn, he might be standing up here in- They struggled to create a place for them- stead of me.” [Laughter] selves in a distant land. And with a commit- Of course, it bears saying that if Patrick ment to faith and family and hard work, they Kennedy hadn’t left County Wexford, or if transformed that land in the process. And even Thomas Fitzgerald hadn’t left County Limer- after all the generations of becoming and be- ick, the American people would have been de- ing Americans, their descendants have never prived of the Presidency of John F. Kennedy, lost the enduring spirit that insists on pro- but also would have been denied one of the claiming themselves Irish still. That same finest public servants of this or any age, and a pride was embodied by a man who once occu- great friend of mine and many of yours, Sir pied this very house and whose portrait is right Edward M. Kennedy. outside this door, a man who was only three Teddy wishes he could be here tonight, but generations removed from Ireland. I guarantee you this much: The very thought In the third year of his Presidency, John F. of all of you gathered here would put a twinkle Kennedy decided to make a trip to his ances- in his eye and a smile on his face. He as much tral home. And one of his aides advised against as anyone reminds us of what it means to be it. The aide said, “You’ve already got all the Irish: that no matter what hardships may Irish votes you want in this country.” [Laugh- come, there’s always joy to be found in this ter] “If you go to Ireland, people will say it’s life; that through hard work, tomorrow can be better than today; that comfort is found amidst just a pleasure trip.” And Kennedy responded, faith and family, love and laughter, poetry and “That’s exactly what I want”—[laughter]—“a song. pleasure trip to Ireland.” That’s what I want And tonight, in this room with all of you, I too—[laughter]—but I’m not going to get one am reminded of the words of that great Irish right now. We’ve got a little more work to do. poet, Yeats: “There are no strangers here, only Laughter [ ] friends you haven’t met yet.” But while he was there, President Kennedy Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everybody. I’d like visited the port from which his great-grandfa- now to bring to the podium, the Taoiseach Bri- ther embarked for America. And he addressed an Cowen. the Irish Parliament, and he reflected, as we all have from time to time, on the role chance NOTE: The President spoke at 7:56 p.m. in the plays over the generations in determining who State Dining Room at the White House. In his we become. remarks, he referred to Catherine E. “Jean” And he said, “If this nation had achieved its Biden, mother of Vice President Joe Biden. present political and economic stature a centu- The transcript released by the Office of the ry ago, my great-grandfather might never have Press Secretary also included the remarks of left New Ross, and I might, if fortunate, be sit- Vice President Joe Biden. Audio was not avail- ting down there with you,” Kennedy said. “Of able for verification of the content of these re- course, if your own President had never left marks.

Remarks on Departure for Costa Mesa, California, and an Exchange With Reporters March 18, 2009

President Obama. We’re about—I’m about swering questions from voters about a whole to go to California, but I wanted to make sure host of issues. that I had a chance to address all of you before Obviously, the whole issue of AIG and these we leave. And we’re going to have a town hall bonuses that have been paid out have been meeting there in which we’re going to be an- consuming a lot of attention, and rightfully so,

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