The President: Thank you very much, Speaker Ryan,
for that wonderful toast -- although I've heard
better jokes.
(Laughter.)
And thank you to all of our friends
and distinguished members of Congress for joining us
here today -- a great honor.
And a really great honor to be with you, Vice President Pence.
You have been terrific.
(applause.)
And all of our friends welcoming Taoiseach.
That's my new friend; he's my new friend.
Great guy.
(applause.)
And, Fionnuala, you know, you are something very special.
We sat, we talked, and I think we're friends now too, right?
And it's really an honor.
Thank you.
(applause.)
Thanks, Fionnuala.
Appreciate it.
Also, the delegation members -- very, very special.
Spent some time together, and we're going to have
a very, very great long-term relationship, as we would
with Ireland anyway.
But this is a very special group, so I very much
appreciate it.
We're here today to celebrate America's
commitment to Ireland and the tremendous
contributions -- and I know it well -- the Irish
immigrants and their descendants have made
right here in the United States and throughout the world.
The very first St. Patrick's Day parade -- I spent a lot of time
at St. Patrick's Day parades over the years,
I will tell you that - was held in my hometown, New York City,
on March 17th, 1762.
With each subsequent year, the Irish people marched,
passed another accomplishment, and celebrated another
very hard-earned success.
And they have had tremendous success all
over the world, but in this country, they have
had tremendous success.
Over the years, they marched past the beautiful
St. Patrick's Cathedral, now an immortal monument
to the faith of Irish Catholics in America.
They celebrated their shared success in American
society with the election of John F. Kennedy.
(applause.)
They fought for America in war and combat.
And their battlefield courage has earned
admiration and acclaim throughout the world.
They have great courage.
The proud tradition that started in 1762 has
flourished and is now celebrated by Americans
of all faiths and backgrounds all across our very
beautiful and very special land.
As we stand together with our Irish friends,
I'm reminded of that proverb -- and this is a good one,
this is one I like; I've heard it for many, many
years and I love it -- "Always remember to forget
the friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember those that
have stuck by you."
We know that, politically speaking.
A lot of us know that, we know it well.
(applause.)
It's a great phrase.
The people of Ireland and the people of the United States
have stuck together through good times and bad times.
Over many centuries, we have built a bond that
thrives, inspires and endures.
And with us, it's going to be closer than ever
before, I can tell you that.
(applause.)
So, as we celebrate our shared history and our
enduring friendship, let us commit ourselves to
working together, as we will, to build on that
bond for the benefit of our citizens for many
more generations to come.
Thank you.
God bless you.
And may God always bless our deep and lasting
friendship and relationship.
We love Ireland and we love the people of Ireland.
Thank you very much for being here.
(applause.)