Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Aithním gur mór an onóir dom oifig an Taoisigh a ghlacadh inniu, nuair a rachfaidh mé go dtí Áras an Uachtaráin, agus glacaim go humhal leis. Is ócáid mhór é, do mo chlann, mo chéile Mary, mo bheirt iníon Sinéad agus Maedhbh, mo mháthair May, mo chlann agus mo ghaolta uilig. Táim fíor-bhuíoch do lucht tacaíochta an Rialtais — Páirtí Pharlaiminte Fhianna Fáil, an Chomhaontas Glas, an Páirtí Daonlathach agus na Teachtaí Neamhspleáigh — a roghnaigh mé don phost mórchúramach seo. Nuair a chaithim súil siar ar na hiartaoisigh a bhí i réim sa tír seo ó bhunaíodh an Stáit, is maith is eol dom an dea-obair a rinne siad i leith na tíre. Tuigim go maith go bhfuil an cúram céanna ormsa agus ar mo chomhghleacaithe sa Rialtas. Táim an-bhródúil as na gaiscí atá déanta ag saoránaigh na tíre seo sa saol i gcoitinne. Tá clú agus cáil ar ár scríbhneoirí, ár gceoltóirí agus ár luthchleasaithe, srl. — na mílte ón dtír seo a thaisteal an domhan agus a thaispeán a gcuid talann. Tá daonra an-óg againn sa tír seo agus tá cumas iontu. Tuigimid go bhfuil fadhbanna agus deacrachtaí le réiteach againn. Geallaim don Teach go ndeánfaimid ár seacht ndícheall chun fadhbanna na tíre seo a shárú. Is dúshlán é dúinn go léir.

Tá an-chuid cainte faoi drochstaid eacnamaíochta na tíre seo, ach an bhfuil dearmad déanta againn ar an bhforbairt atá déanta againn le blianta anuas? Caithfimid a admháil go bhfuilimid níos fearr as ná mar a bhíomar. Caithfimid bheith réalaíoch, áfach — níl aon amhras orm ach go bhfuil sé de dhualgas orainn na mór-fadhbanna sóisialta atá againn a réiteach. Beidh sé mar ceann spíce againn cabhair a thabhairt dóibh siúd atá ar imeall ár sochaí. Ní mór duínn aire, urraim, meas agus cion a thabhairt dár seanóirí agus a chinntiú nach mbeidh saol ainnis, dearóil, uaigneach acu amach anseo. Fadó, bhíomar ag brath ar eachtrannaigh chun na tíre seo a fhorbairt, ach anois tá pobal oilte againn agus níl drugall orthu a dtalann a léíriú. Deirtear go bhfuil mí na meala thart dom anois — is fada an lá ó bhí mí na meala agam agus nílim ag súil leis sa saol polaitíochta. Tuigim go bhfuil jab le déanamh ag an bhFreasúra agus fáiltímid roimh cháineadh dearfach. Is beag maitheas atá i gcáineadh diúltach. Táimid uilig ag obair ar son na tíre. Tabharfaimid gach cabhair dos na meáin. Níl ach rud amháin ag teastáil uainn, sé sin cothrom na féinne a thabhairt dúinn inár saol poiblí agus go háirithe inár saol príobháideach. Glacaimid le cáineadh ach iarraim é a bheith féaráilte.

Thosnaigh mé m'óráid i nGaeilge mar is é mo bharúil ná gur seoid luachmhar í ár dteanga. Caithfimid í a chaomhnú agus a fhorbairt. Cé go mbeidh lucht na díspreagadh againn i gcónaí, measaim go bhfuil dea-mhéin i leith na teangan i measc an phobail anois. Níl aon bhata draíochta agam, ach tá spriocanna ós ár gcomhair. Ní folaír dúinn misneach a thabhairt do mhuintir na Gaeltachta agus na Galltachta agus a chur in iúl don phobal go bhfuilimid bródúil as ár dteanga. Ní ceart go mbeadh náire orainn í a labhairt go poiblí. Cén fáth nach féidir linn bheith dá theangach? Níl bás na teangan mar rogha againn. Deánfaidh an Rialtas gach iarracht ár dteanga a choiméad beo agus í a chothú.

I am deeply honoured by my nomination for the position of Taoiseach. A number of weeks ago, my parliamentary colleagues chose me to lead Fianna Fáil — that was a great honour in itself — and today this House has elected me as Taoiseach. I am the 12th person to have bestowed on him the honour of being nominated leader of the Executive since the foundation of the State and I accept the honour with a genuine sense of humility. That sense is engendered in large part from a love of Ireland. This is a wonderful country and we are a fortunate people.

We live on an island which has come to enjoy the richness of full peace, with no strife or agitation born from past hostilities. Yesterday's proceedings at the site of the Battle of the Boyne reinforced that fact in a very real and visible way. I commend the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and the outgoing First Minister, Ian Paisley, on the sentiments expressed in their respective addresses at the site of the battle yesterday, and I commend Mrs. Paisley also.

The scale of the challenge I face is expressed in the quality and achievements of all those who have gone before me in this high office, not least my immediate predecessor, Deputy Bertie Ahern, whose outstanding contribution to the life of this country has rightly attracted praise and acknowledgement from far and wide and continues in the tradition of a great line of Taoisigh before him. Summarised most eloquently in the message he brought to the United States Congress in recent days, his is an inspirational example. I salute him and wish him happiness and fulfilment in the contributions that he will doubtless make over many years ahead.

Tomorrow I will have the privilege of addressing the investment conference for Northern Ireland with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown. It is appropriate that, on my first working day as Taoiseach, I will have the opportunity to advance relationships and deepen engagement, on a North-South and an east-west basis. Consolidating the peace through economic development and mutual understanding will have my full engagement and wholehearted support. Tomorrow's conference is a timely reminder that our destiny on this island cannot be secured in isolation from the rest of the world.

We share too much history and culture with our neighbouring island not to work for the deepest friendship and the most fruitful engagement. Our economic success on this island owes much to the strength and depth of our relationship with the United States, through the very many investors who have found here a successful partner for investment and through the scale of the trading relationship between the two economies.

However, it is in the context of our European identity and membership of the European Union that our place in the international arena and our relationships with other nations, near and far, find their proper perspective and most potent context. As a member of the European Council, I will strive to ensure that our European vocation is a live, engaged and creative thing, not a passive recipient of the fruits of the labours of others. In the same spirit, I look forward to leading a campaign in the coming weeks to assure the Irish people that ratification of the EU reform treaty is in our interest. Far from damaging our interests, the treaty will enhance our capacity to shape developments in line with our perspectives and principles. There is no more urgent or important task ahead of me in the immediate future.

In considering my role as Taoiseach, I have thought a great deal about Ireland's place in the world today. Where does Ireland stand as we approach the closing years of the first decade of the 21st century? We know it is very different from what it was ten years ago when we were heading towards the millennium.

Our economic success, which was in its early years a decade ago, has been sustained. We have settled our relationships on this island and reached accommodations that had been inconceivable for generations. With our increased confidence we explore and exploit new opportunities overseas. The movement of our people is now by choice; in the past, it was by force of circumstance. Perhaps most strikingly of all, we have accommodated tens of thousands of migrants who have come to our shores to help us sustain our economic success.

All this represents considerable change in a short period. It would be challenging for any society, but it is particularly challenging for us given our location and history. We have adapted well and established many common values with the rest of Europe. They are largely positive values. We have matured through the process and learned from our new experiences how to right some of our failures of the past.

The influence of the EU project has been all-pervasive across every aspect of our lives. We have availed of the full range of opportunities of membership better than most. The political, economic and social landscape has been utterly transformed for the better in this country because of our participation in the European Union. The greatest mistake we could make now would be to move away from the opening out to the world that has brought such benefits to our nation. I have been reading Des Geraghty's excellent book Forty Shades of Green in recent days and his thesis is that we are now in a new space. What was once one of the most dispersed nations in the world is now becoming one of the most diverse nations and the change is visible and real.

We are now redefining ourselves in terms of mending relationships with those of other traditions of long standing on the island and establishing relationships with the new Irish and migrants who have come to our shores to share in the economic miracle of the Celtic tiger economy.

We also are connecting in a myriad of ways through economic, social and cultural lines with many peoples on the Continent of Europe and further afield as the economic reach of our society is becoming truly global.

Our Celtic heritage has helped us, as a modern Republic, to take our place as a leading nation within the European Union. We are admired and respected as a progressive country throughout the wider community of the developed world. Moreover, in the developing world, our forefathers' tradition of giving has been maintained by the contemporary missionary and development work of today's Irish men and women who toil there as a vocation.

In the first budget I presented to this House, I talked of economic activity as a servant of society. The statistics speak volumes for what has been achieved in the past 15 years. They also might receive too much attention. Some might ask what year on year growth amounts to if it does not improve some people's lives. However, Ireland in 2008 is a much better place to live for more of our people than ever before. Far fewer of our people are struggling on the margins of our society. We have moved from a Third World infrastructure to one that is progressing well and will be the match of many of our European peers in the years ahead.

One of the challenges we face today is to temper a rising tendency towards individualism within Irish society. We rightly have encouraged a culture of the individual taking personal responsibility for his or her well-being. We have reaped benefits from the more confident Ireland as presented by its most successful people forging new opportunities at home and abroad. Overdone however, this carries risks. Not correctly harnessed, this can sap the energy of our sense of community, which still is strong and visible in many ways. We must prioritise turning the benefits of individual flair to the benefit of the community as a whole.

This is what the Government wants and needs. Its responsibility is to fuel the engine of community and to lead the charge away from the promotion of exclusive self-interest towards a superior value of a wider community interest. The pre-eminence of community and participation over self promotes social harmony and a better quality of life for all. This is what will allow us to develop a society of social inclusion.

Our particular charge is to represent the interests of our young. The character of the generations that will build this century still is being formed. These generations will decide the shape of the future. It is the job of the Government and of parliamentarians to take the steps that will make it clearer for that generation to help shape this Republic in a way that realises its greater potential.

I have referred to our economic progress and how it has translated into significant social enhancement. While we have made great gains, we also face great challenges. Our job as legislators is to provide leadership to society at this time of change. However, society must engage with us in this process. Change of this nature cannot simply be driven by the Government. The common good is enshrined in the Constitution and should have special relevance in Ireland at the beginning of the 21st century. The ultimate test of our progress will be the extent to which we can mobilise all of the people to think and behave in a manner that puts the interests of society as a whole ahead of our own private interests. As Seán Lemass observed, all "national progress . . . depends . . . on an upsurge of patriotism" among the people. It is the job of government to lead on this issue but that of society as a whole to address. My Government will pursue this agenda to lead change and I will return to this theme when I bring forward the nominations to the Government to this House later this evening.

I wish to reflect on what this means to me. On assuming the position of leader-elect of Fianna Fáil, I stated that I was excited if not a little daunted. I have assumed the position of Taoiseach with an even greater sense of responsibility. I have been overwhelmed by the good wishes I have received from people the length and breadth of the country, as well as from abroad, of all political persuasions and none. In particular, I thank my family. I received my grounding in politics from my father Ber, who in turn received it from his father, Christy, a founding member of the Fianna Fáil party. Politics is about public service above all else. This is a great day for my wife Mary, my daughters Sinead and Maedhbh, my mother May, my brothers Christopher and Barry and all other members of the families of Mary and me. I also am joined by many friends who have made this political journey with me and mine for many years. Their presence fortifies me today.

I thank the men and women of this House for the generosity of their support and good wishes. I look forward to them extending that blanket of goodwill for many months to come. All of these greetings from within this House and without are most welcome although in some respects they add to the sense of expectation. I will commit myself completely to meeting those expectations. I sincerely hope I can do so in full.

It is now necessary, a Cheann Comhairle, to inform the President of my nomination so that she may appoint me as Taoiseach. Accordingly, I suggest that the Dáil be suspended until 6 p.m.

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