President Obama Addresses the Irish People

Those of us who are parents wonder what it will mean for our children and young

people

, like so many who are here today. Will you see the same progress that we have seen since we were your age? Will you inherit futures as big and bright as the ones we inherit? Will your dreams still be alive in our time? This nation has faced those questions before: when its land could not feed those who farmed it; when the ships that sailed from these shores carried some of your brightest minds; when brother fought against brother. Yours is a story often marked by the greatest trials and the deepest pain.

But theirs is also a story of proud and defiant resistance. Of a nation that kept the flame of knowledge alive in dark ages; who overcame the occupation and survived the fallow fields; that triumphed over its problems, of a resilient

people

that surpassed all odds. (Applause) And, Ireland, as difficult as these times are, I know that our future is still as big and bright as our children hope it will be. (applause) I know this because I know that it is precisely in times like these, in times of great challenges, in times of great change, that we remember who we really are.

We are people, Irish and Americans, who never stop imagining a better future, even in bitter times. We are people who make that future a reality through hard work and sacrifice, investing in the things that matter most, like family and community. We remember, in the words made famous by one of its greatest poets, that "responsibility begins in dreams." This is a nation that fulfilled that responsibility by choosing, as its ancestors did, to keep the flame of knowledge burning and invest in a world-class education for its young people. And today, young Irish people, and those who have returned to build a new Ireland, are among the best educated and most entrepreneurial in the world.

And I see those young people here today. And I know Ireland will succeed. (applause) This is a nation that fulfilled its responsibilities by choosing to apply the lessons of its own past to shoulder a heavier burden of responsibility on the world stage. And today, a people who once knew the pain of an empty stomach now feed those who are hungry abroad. Ireland is working hand in hand with the United States to ensure hungry mouths around the world are fed, because we remember those times. We know how crippling poverty can be and we want to make sure we help others.

You are a people that modernized and can now defend those who still cannot defend themselves. And this is a nation that lived up to its responsibilities and inspired the entire world, choosing to see beyond the scars of violence and mistrust to forge lasting peace on this island. When President Clinton said in this very place 15 years ago that achieving peace is risky, I think those who participated understood the risks they were taking. But you, the Irish people, persevered. And you cast your votes and made your voices heard for that peace. (applause) And you responded heroically when it was questioned.

And they did so because, as President McAleese wrote, "Despite the seeming intractability of our problems, the irrepressible human impulse to love continued to nag at us and push us toward reconciliation." Whenever peace is threatened, you will have to sustain that irrepressible impulse. And the United States will support them... always. (applause) The United States will always support you in your search for peace. (applause) And Ireland, you must understand that you have already so far exceeded the world's greatest hopes that the remarkable thing about the Northern Ireland election two weeks ago was that it came and went without much attention.

It's not because the world has forgotten. It's because this once improbable dream has become the most extraordinary of things: it has become real. A dream has come true thanks to the work of this nation. (Applause) Responsibility begins in dreams. And accepting that responsibility, working towards it, overcoming the cynics, the naysayers and the "you can't" people, that's what makes dreams real. That's what Falmouth Kearney did when he got on that ship, and that's what so many generations of Irish men and women have done here in this spectacular country. This is something we can point out and show our children, both Irish and American.

That's something we can teach them as they grow together in a new century, side by side, as it has been since our beginning. This small country that inspires bigger things... your best days are yet to come. (applause) Our greatest triumphs, both in the United States and Ireland, are yet to come. And, Ireland, if anyone ever says otherwise, if anyone ever tells you that your problems are too big, or your challenges are too big, that we can't do something, that we shouldn't even try... think about all that. . we have done it together. Remember that no matter what hardships winter may bring, spring is always just around the corner.

And if they continue to argue with you, just respond with a simple creed: Is féidir linn. If we can. If we can. It's féidir linn. (applause) For all you have contributed to the character of the United States of America and the spirit of the world, thank you. And may God bless the eternal friendship between our two great nations. thank you very much to all. Thanks, Dublin. Thank you, Ireland.