Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A Uachtarán Biden, thar ceann Chomhaltaí an dá Theach agus ar mo shon féin, gabhaim buíochas leat as an onóir a thabhairt dúinn a bheith i do láthair inniu agus as an aitheasc a thug tú don chomhshuí seo. We might say four more years, Mr. President, but we cannot be political here. Thank you for your wonderful address. Mr. President, as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, and on behalf of the Members of Seanad Éireann and Dáil Éireann, I thank you for honouring us today with your presence, and for addressing both Houses of the Oireachtas, the fourth American President to do so. I sincerely thank Ambassador Cronin, who in her tenure here, Mr. President, has served your country with distinction and we thank her most sincerely.

From your address today and from your visit, not just this week, but in previous times, it is obvious that you have a genuine, personal pride in your Irish ancestry. Today I am sure all of us in this Chamber will reflect and remember the Irish diaspora in America who share that same sense of pride. Your presence in this Chamber and your address today acknowledges the story of emigration as the shared story of our two nations. I hope, Mr. President, that we will see immigration reform with the undocumented Irish looked after during your term in office. This week we turn another page of history together by commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. It is important that we salute the architects of that agreement and we thank them today. We welcome your visit as a reminder of the role the United States played - and continues to play - as a broker of peace. Too many of us still remember the terrible violence that devastated our communities for decades.As you said both today and yesterday, we must persist in our work of peace and reconciliation to ensure the positive legacy of the Good Friday Agreement can be fully realised for all those young people about whom you spoke in your speech.

Mr. President, you said recently about the United States, "Our diversity is, and has always been, our greatest strength as a nation." You have shown that value and respect for diversity in your lifetime as a politician. On a personal level, I want to thank you for being one of the first leaders to publicly support marriage equality. In your infamous "Meet the Press" interview with David Gregory in 2012, you reframed the debate as a simple question, "Who do you love, and will you be loyal to the person you love?" With this statement, Mr. President, you held aloft your respect for diversity, and others followed, including my very good friend, Enda Kenny, who as part of his government allowed us to have a referendum on marriage equality in our country. Mr. President, your intervention was truly a transformative moment that changed the political narrative around marriage equality. Like the architects of the Good Friday Agreement who took a risk, you took a risk, and because of you, and the generosity of the Irish people, I can wear this wedding ring as a symbol of my love for my husband who is here today.

There is an old Irish proverb, "Anáil na beatha an t-athrú" or "Change is the breath of life". Looking ahead, we know that change will be constant and we will embrace that and keep our positivity. We will continue to value and strengthen our special relationship with the United States as we work together on shared global challenges.

President Biden, I hope that you and your family enjoy your visit to Ireland, your ancestral home. I welcome your sister, Valerie Biden Owens, who has a very good strong Cork connection, and your son, Hunter, and on your next visit to Ireland I hope you will visit Cork. As you said previously, Mr. President, north-east Pennsylvania will be written on my heart but Ireland will be written on my soul.

In conclusion, it would be remiss of me on this occasion not to thank the Members of the Houses for being here today and to thank the staff of the Houses who made this event possible. A Uachtaráin, thank you for addressing the Houses of the Oireachtas. Go raibh míle maith agat. Slán agus beannacht. Beir bua, and fly Eagles fly.