Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has praised Irish emigrants for their courage and their tenacity in the face of adversity.
Speaking at the Dublin launch of IrishCentral publisher Niall O'Dowd's new book "An Irish Voice," Cowen paid tribute to Irish emigrants.
And he said that naysayers who put down Irish Americans did so through their own ignorance.
"I've always felt that there was an element in this country that looked over at the diaspora in a rather patronising way, as the shillelagh and the Aran jumper brigade," he said.
Cowen's comments on emigration come as almost 60,000 Irish people have fled Ireland with a further 45,000 set to emigrate this year.
He spoke of the difficulties that the Irish faced when moving to big cities like New York.
"You try and find some sense of connection in a very big city, on one hand trying to maintain your Irish connection, on the other hand not being imprisoned by it and enjoy a different life," he said.
"There is no family unaffected by the reality of emigration, no family that I know of, who don't have some members who are 'on the other side' as they say."
Cowen said that Ireland needed to learn from Irish America to overcome the economic crisis.
"When I go to America and meet Irish-America in all its manifestations, I think what we need to take from there is that sense of 'yes of course there's a crisis, but there's opportunity'," he said.
"We need to have the resilience and self-belief to recognise that we are not alone in this. One of the great things about America for all its faults is the idea that there is a new day, there is another tomorrow, there is a way forward. That has always been something we've always had to learn from America, that it is okay to fail."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Temerity | Mar 05, 2010, 05:20 PM EST
The Irish also have a marvellous legacy here in Melbourne Australia let me tell you.Not the least in Catholic Church leaders like Arch Bishop Daniel Mannix and the Church from which they drew hope and courage and love and a sense of community . No I don't want to hear from the clever types who can always point a finger at the splinter in another's eye. Love the Irish immigrant who faced discrimination and hardship here and won through but always won through with courage and determinaiton and humour and love for their family.They could always laugh and sing about the homeland with love ( maybe idealized a bit from a far) and they could always be helpful and supportive to their mates who weren't doing so well.I know my father and grandfather were anyway. Hope there are still some in Ireland with that same wonderful spirit and charm to export and hope they come here soon.We need them.
jimmy12003 | Mar 05, 2010, 04:41 PM EST
Niall, goodluck with your book! but at this stage in the game, anything that comes out of that cu-nts mouth now, is just more bulls_hit! i only wish that cu-nt could feel what it is like to have to leave your family and friends to try and make a better life for yourself, as a result of corruption by the cu-nt and his idol, Bertie ahern!
Crazy2009 | Mar 05, 2010, 09:17 AM EST
Mr. Cowen - the meeting and the greetings must be done, I get it you are head of state! But seriously, what can the Govt. do about the immigrants leaving Ireland again! We should be much further along than we are (it's 2010 if you hadn't notice), but with the banks getting bail out, the credit card companies fleecing people, the Govt. officials getting as much lining in their pockets - on the backs of the common working folk that voted, in hopes it would lead the country forward not backward - - what is going to happen next. You still go home at night, to a home, you still have a job tomorrow. Maybe the Irish Govt should do the role swop - join the dole queues day after day, scan the papers day after day - need I go home Mr. O'Dowd, wishing you success with your book - it's nice to see Irish do well in the US
Downunderyan | Mar 04, 2010, 05:24 AM EST
Comhgairdeas a Niall/Congratulations Niall. I've always felt, as an emigrant from Ireland, that the reverse of the biblical parable of the prodigal son applied to the Irish. The one who went away was the industrious son whilst the one who stayed at home and wasted his inheritance was the prodigal one. All you have to do to see the evidence of this thesis is to consider the parlous state of the Irish economy as opposed to the real prosperity of the emigrants.
irishwriter | Mar 03, 2010, 12:44 PM EST
Congratulations, Niall, on getting a high-wattage player at your book launch! It's good to see the Irish back pedal for the American-bashing they have done during the Bush years.