US president Barack Obama has hailed the faith in God that Irish
immigrants brought to America and praised the commitment of Irish people
to the most vulnerable communities around the globe.
Speaking to tens of thousands of people gathered in Dublin's College
Green on Monday, Mr Obama recalled the Irish roots of his own
forefathers who emigrated to the US.
They had ''nothing to sustain their
journey but faith -- faith in the Almighty; faith in the idea of
America.''
''And as they worked and struggled and sacrificed and sometimes
experienced great discrimination, they passed on that faith to their
children and to their children's children -- an inheritance that their
great-great-great grandchildren like me still carry with them,'' he said
to rapturous applause.
Highlighting Ireland's long history of charity and missionary work in
the developing world, he said: ''A people who once knew the pain of an
empty stomach now feed those who hunger abroad.''
With overtures of the evangelisation of the early Irish missionary
movement, the president said Ireland's history was one of ''proud and
defiant endurance. Of a nation that kept alive the flame of knowledge in
dark ages; that overcame occupation and outlived fallow fields; that
triumphed over its troubles -- of a resilient people who beat all the
odds.''
Hope
His overriding message was one of hope: ''Our greatest triumphs -- in America and Ireland alike -- are still to come.''
The best response to the nay-sayers he told the exuberant crowd is ''a simple creed: Is féidir linn. Yes, we can.''
Mr Obama concluded his speech by saying: ''May God bless the eternal friendship between our two great nations.''