H.E. Mr. Dan Mulhall:

I wish to comment on last night's event. I organised it because I believe in inclusivity. I invited people from a range of political points of view. We should be inclusive when it comes to commemorations in terms of who takes part and what we commemorate. We should not be selective. Recently, I gave a talk at the University of Liverpool entitled, "History is not to blame: Commemorating Ireland 1912-1922". It is on the Irish Embassy's website. In my speech, I stated that, for me, a central narrative in Irish history led up to the birth of the State, including the GPO and the various events that preceded the formation of the State. However, there are also other narratives, for example, the House of Commons and the battlefields of the First World War. We should be able to accommodate all of those narratives without in any way denying the centrality of 1916 and the subsequent developments that resulted in Irish Independence.

At last night's event, I stated that, during my time in Britain, I intended to commemorate a range of events. Last night it was the Home Rule Act, in that we recognised the contribution of generations of Irishmen - they were men, apart from Constance Markievicz who never got to take her seat - who represented Ireland in the British Parliament for almost 120 years and 90 years after Catholic emancipation. They represented Nationalist Ireland and did their best to try to ameliorate the circumstances of our country during that time. Their contribution should be acknowledged and respected because they were Nationalists and had the best interests of the people they served at heart when they went across in difficult circumstances, argued the case for Ireland and achieved many advances that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, mentioned in his speech at the beginning of last night's event. By the way, it will be televised on BBC Parliament on Saturday evening. That channel is available in Ireland on Sky and everyone watching will be able to see the range of opinions aired at the Irish Embassy last night.

I also stated last night that I was determined that Ireland would hold a commemoration in Britain in 2016 of the Easter Rising. That was an event that had an important impact on relations between our two islands and led to Independence. I made the point that, with the passage of 100 years, we ought to be able to examine our history and have differences of opinion about it without those getting out of hand and creating difficulties for present and future relationships between our two countries.

I am in favour of inclusivity and I intend not only to commemorate the First World War and Home Rule Act but also in the coming years to commemorate the events that led to the foundation of the Irish State and, as I also mentioned last night, to commemorate literary anniversaries. For example, next year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of W.B. Yeats. I have already discussed with Senator Susan O'Keeffe, who is involved in a programme in this regard, how I can help to promote that programme of events in Britain in the coming year. This year marks the centenary of the publication of Joyce's Dubliners, which is a great literary achievement. We should, I believe, be willing to recognise, commemorate and celebrate not only the political events that changed the face of Ireland during the decade between 1912 and 1922 but its literary achievements during that time.
On trade, Britain is our second biggest export market. Remarkably, we are the fifth most important export market for the UK. If, as I suggested earlier, members were to read the report by the CBI published last November, they would see listed therein all of the export markets, and from that information, Britain currently exports more to Ireland than to China, India and Brazil combined, which countries combined have a population of 2.5 billion. A recent KPMG study predicts that in 2030 Ireland will be the third biggest export market for the UK and will still at that time be a more important market for the UK than China. When one considers the enormous expansion of the Chinese economy, exports and so forth, that is a remarkable fact. The two-way advantage that flows from the relationship between our two countries is vital. I constantly remind people in Britain of the fact that this is not a one-way street. Our relations with the UK are a matter of two-way advantage. This was acknowledged by Britain when, during the height of our crisis, it provided a bilateral loan to Ireland, reflecting the fact that Ireland is an important export market for it.
The joint trade mission that took place earlier this year in Singapore was a success. I know the Taoiseach has spoken to Prime Minister Cameron about some further joint trade initiatives, which obviously would be a good thing. While we are separate and have our separate interests there are, I believe, areas where we can combine and should do so whenever it brings advantage to Ireland.