Mar. 17 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1995

Remarks to the 1994 Champion March 17, 1995

Good afternoon. Please be seated. I’m de- championships; teams do. I remember your lighted to see all of you here, and welcome chant from last year, ‘‘Heave ho. Everybody to the White House and to the Rose Garden. pulling together.’’ This year it’s turned into You come on the first day that the trees are ‘‘Heave ho. Two in a row.’’ blooming, so you’re bringing us all wonderful The is the oldest trophy competi- weather. tion by professional athletes in North America, It’s an honor for me to host the New York the only trophy that bears the names of not Rangers here, including the commissioner of the only the teams but the individual players who National Hockey League, Gary Bettman; the won it. I’d also like to say a special word of president and general manager of the Rangers, appreciation because the Rangers boast the first ; coach Colin Campbell; and assistant four Russians ever to have their names engraved coach Dick Todd. And I think Congressman on the Stanley Cup, another sign of our increas- Eliot Engel was supposed to be here, and he ingly interconnected global community and is unless they’re still voting. America’s outreach to the rest of the world. It was last June 14th when the Rangers won I also admire the tradition that the entire the Stanley Cup, finally breaking the infamous team shares the Stanley Cup. Each player gets curse. The next day I got a letter from Senator to take it home to friends and to family. This Moynihan, a big Ranger fan, who said that since team took that one step further, because the the Rangers brought the cup back to Madison Rangers know that teamwork isn’t only about Square Garden, I should bring the Rangers to the guys who lace up the skates, it’s also about the Rose Garden. I’m delighted you’re finally your fans, too. And if ever a team had great here. We’ve been trying to arrange this visit fans, you do. So you paid your fans back by for some time, but what’s a few months com- remembering right after the victory a longtime pared to 54 years? [Laughter] fan who had passed away, by bringing the cup I can’t tell you how much I personally enjoyed to sick children in the hospital and even by the playoffs. I really got into them. I tried to bringing the cup to restaurants and bars rearrange my schedule so that I could see the throughout New York—[laughter]—as well as to games. I enjoyed seeing pre- one of the Vice President’s favorite hangouts, dicting and delivering a victory when your backs the David Letterman show. were against the wall. I enjoyed ’s For all that, I thank you. Your victory has MVP playoff performance, the first by an Amer- shown us what is best about professional sports: ican-born player. And I especially enjoyed your perseverance, hard work, real commitment to goalie ’s acrobatic saves. All of us working together. It’s an example for which all here in Washington can appreciate what goalies of us in and the Rose do because we have so many shots taken at Garden are very grateful. us every day. And I was hoping maybe, in addi- Congratulations, and welcome again. tion to a jersey, one of you could loan me a face mask for the next year or so. [Laughter] I also want to say something that I observed NOTE: The President spoke at 2:39 p.m. in the watching these playoffs. Stars alone don’t win Rose Garden at the White House.

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Remarks at a Saint Patrick’s Day Reception March 17, 1995

Is the microphone on? Now it is. Taoiseach . These two traditions have been and Mrs. Bruton, let me say again, welcome intertwined, and together have contributed im- to the White House. Ceade mile failte. mensely to our success as a nation and to our We have been breaking out the green for greatness as a people. More than a dozen Presi- many years on St. Patrick’s Day, but this is dents descended from Irish ancestors, from An- truly an historic St. Patrick’s Day. For the first drew Jackson, the son of immigrants from time we have invited leaders of all the major Carrickfergus near Belfast who was our first political groups from Northern Ireland to join President of Irish-Protestant heritage, to John us, and I am delighted that so many are here Kennedy, the great-grandson of a cooper who tonight. Those who take risks for peace are al- left County Wexford and was our first Irish- ways welcome under this roof. Catholic President. I might say we’re honored President Kennedy, with his marvelous Irish to have his sister as our Ambassador to Ireland understatement, once pointed out, and I quote, and his brother and two of his nephews in the ‘‘The observance of St. Patrick’s Day is almost United States Congress today. They’re now seek- as old in America as the Irish themselves. And ing to expand their stranglehold; one of his some say they arrived in the 6th century.’’ Actu- nieces is the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. ally, the first recorded mention of St. Patrick The next thing you know they’ll insist on a posi- in America was in 1636, when an Irish ship tion on every city council in America. They have bearing that name sailed into, where else, Bos- enough relatives to fill that. [Laughter] ton Harbor. It, however, did not receive a warm In the fight for our independence and in the welcome. The Puritans were not well disposed fight to preserve our Union, there were Irish- toward the Catholics, but as history shows, it men from both traditions serving side by side was only a temporary setback as—[laughter]. in all-Irish units. In both wars, they were among During the Revolutionary conflict, George the most feared warriors. They put freedom over Washington even paid his own compliment to faction, and they helped to build our Nation. the holiday in 1776. On March 17th, he ordered Finley Peter Dunne, the great Irish-American that the password of the day be ‘‘Boston,’’ and humorist, wrote that a fanatic is someone who the response, ‘‘St. Patrick.’’ By the way, the is sure God would be on his side if only He Colonies’ general at that time was a Sullivan. knew all the facts. [Laughter] Today, with good A few months later, at least a dozen Irishmen humor but complete seriousness, I urge all our signed the Declaration of Independence, and guests from Northern Ireland and all the parties another, Mr. Dunlap of Philadelphia, printed the concerned to put aside all extremism for the Declaration for the first time. He also lost the common good of peace. original copy. [Laughter] But that setback, too, The Prime Minister of Ireland and the Prime was temporary because the Irish knew then how Minister of Great Britain, at no inconsiderable to back winners. risk to themselves, have paved the way to a The Irish first became a force in our politics new era of peace. I urge all of you to follow in the 1790’s when they supported Thomas Jef- that path. The tough tasks of compromise still ferson. To their eternal credit, many of their lie ahead. The hard, unending work of democ- descendants have seen fit to back his Demo- racy is never easy. Even here, after all these cratic descendants in the years since. Taoiseach, years, two centuries of it, we still have our dif- as you know, I am on my mother’s side Irish; ficulties from time to time, living with those her name was Cassidy. What you may not know who differ from us. But as you work to forge was that the decisive battle for the nomination a new future, free of violence, free of intimida- for President in 1992 was in Illinois and Michi- tion, with the participation of all the people gan on St. Patrick’s Day. of Northern Ireland, the United States will stand It is said that Ireland’s greatest export is its by you. people. No country has benefited more from American has received so many gifts from Ire- that export, Catholic and Protestant, than the land, so many people who have enriched our

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