St. Patrick's Day - Speech by Ambassador Gilsenan

2016 St Patrick's Day Message from Ambassador Fionnuala Gilsenan

MWaheshimiwa Mawaziri,
Waheshimiwa wabunge,
Waheshimiwa Makatibu Wakuu
Waheshimiwa wenzangu Mabalozi na Wakuu wa Mashirika mbalimbali
Waheshimiwa wote waliopo hapa,
Mabibi na mabwana karibuni sana.

Wageni waalikwa, Ninayo furaha kubwa kuwakaribisheni nyote hapa kwenye makazi ya ubalozi wa Ireland.

Pia ninayo furaha kuwakaribisha kuwa pamoja nasi kwenye sherehe ya kitaifa ya nchi yetu ya Ireland. Ni matumaini yangu kuwa wote mtapata nafasi ya kuonana na kutakiana kheri katika siku hii muhimu.

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the Residence to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. It is a particular pleasure this year to welcome Irish, Tanzanian and other friends to commemorate with us the centenary of seminal events that marked our journey to independence and the foundation of the modern Irish state.

2016 marks 100 years since the Easter 1916 Rising where young, idealist men and women came together to assert once more Ireland’s determination to be a free nation and make our own distinct contribution to a better world.

Like Tanzania and many other countries worldwide, Ireland has a history of anti-colonialism and a shared struggle for freedom. The Easter Rising of 1916 was a pivotal moment in our path to independence and as we commemorate that moment, we seek to better understand that period in our history and the wider global context within which the Rising took place.

The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic was very modern in the ideals that it championed. Its opening lines called on Irishmen and Irishwomen to fight for freedom at a time when women were not recognised as equal citizens anywhere in the world. It also espoused religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities and demanded a republic that cherished all the children of the nation equally. The diversity of players in the struggle for independence were all recognised; women, men, Catholic, Protestant, Irish, British, poets, artists, doctors, teachers, farmers and many more.

The Proclamation reflected the idealism of revolutionaries. One hundred years later, our President Michael D Higgins regularly calls on us to reflect on how we have lived up to those ideals, and where we have left unfulfilled the aspirations of the Irish Republic.

He invites us to ‘re-engage with the work of crafting together a Republic worthy of that title’. The Centenary celebrations are in large part an opportunity to both commemorate and to reimagine and recommit to the values espoused by those who fought and died for Ireland’s freedom.

The values of equality and justice for all have continued to be championed by Ireland. We continue to work for the creation of a better world at home and abroad and we are a nation defined by a commitment to human rights. This is something to be proud of as we celebrate our National Day.

An unexpected outcome of celebrating 1916 is that it has allowed us to remember the role of women in Ireland’s struggle for independence. This, in turn, has inspired women in Ireland to critically reflect on their current position in Irish society and to refuse to be content with what we have achieved thus far.

In commemorating 1916, Ireland is reaching out to the global Irish family and friends of Ireland from all over the world to join in remembering, reflecting and re-imagining. I am very pleased to launch the Embassy’s programme to events in Tanzania which was provided as you came in. The Programme is not exhaustive and other events may be added in the coming weeks.

As we seek ways to commemorate Easter 1916 in Tanzania, we will reflect, with Irish historian Dr Mary McAuliffe, on the experience of the Women of 1916 and the experience of Irish women in the post-independence period and link this to the role of women in Tanzania’s own struggle for freedom. We also look forward to welcoming Irish poet Vona Groarke to Dar es Salaam to celebrate Bloomsday and to exchange with young Tanzanian poets on the role of poetry, arts and culture in providing expression for an idealistic vision of the future.

Ireland is a nation of storytellers and poets. So is Tanzania. We pride ourselves on our ability to tell a good tale and bring a story to life. As I reflect on what it means to be Irish today, and the value we place on sharing our cultures and traditions globally, I hope that we can bring that spirit of storytelling to the experiences of the remarkable women who participated in the liberation struggle in Tanzania and Ireland, and I hope that many of you will join us in sharing your own stories in coming months.

Allow me to finish by sharing a few words in Irish

Is lá speisialta atá ann inniu do na pobail Éireannacha sin go léir trasna an domhain, idir bheag agus mhór, a thagann le chéile i spiorad bróid agus áthais chun a bhféiniúlacht agus ceangal a mbá agus a ngrá dá dtír dhúchais a cheiliúradh.

Mabibi and Mabwana,
Let’s us finish with a Toast
To the good health of His Excellency President Dr John Pombe Magufuli and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania
To the good health of His Excellency President Michael D Higgins and the people of Ireland
and to the friendly relations between the people of Ireland and the people of United Republic of Tanzania