Do Ireland proud. Taoiseach Enda Kenny inspects the just planted Irish Oak on Capitol Hill. Photo by Marty Katz.
By Irish Echo Staff
Presumably, it will provide bipartisan shade in the years ahead.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has presided over the planting of an Irish Oak tree on Capitol Hill, this as part of America’s commemoration of the 1916 Rising.
Mr. Kenny was joined by Representatives Mick Mulvaney and Brendan Boyle for the planting.
“I want to thank both congressmen and also Christine Merdon from the U.S. Capitol’s Architect’s office for making this event possible today,” said Mr. Kenny in addressing all who attended the ceremony.
“I am aware the planting of a new ceremonial tree on these grounds is a rare honor. It is one which we deeply appreciate,” he added.
And the Taoiseach continued: “Our country’s special partnership with the United States will continue to be a cornerstone of peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland.
“I am conscious of the symbolic value of planting a young Irish Oak that will grow and mature here on the grounds of one of the world’s great monuments to democracy, the U.S. Capitol, especially given the great inspiration the 1916 leaders took from the United States.
“Seamus Heaney, one of the greatest Irish poets, said that nothing in nature is more like ourselves than a tree, ‘standing upright, caught between heaven and earth’ and this special tree will serve as a symbol of the deep ties of family and friendship between our two people.
“2016 is a special year for the Irish at home and abroad. I am sure that many of your grandparents and great grandparents are among those famous ‘exiled children in America’ who are specifically referenced in the Proclamation of the Republic.
“The influence of the U.S. - in particular of the Irish American community - in support of the efforts to establish a free and independent Ireland, was enormous and without that support Ireland would simply never have achieved its independence.
“That enduring friendship and support, built on our diaspora of nearly 40 million strong in this country, is a relationship which continues to grow and evolve.”
