asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the arrangements made for members of the Government to attend St. Patrick's Day ceremonies in other countries; and if he will give details relating to this matter.
41.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - St. Patrick's Day Ceremonies.
13.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will be represented at this year's St. Patrick's Day parade in New York; and if so, the name of the representative.
42.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the venues and functions at which he and the Minister of State at his Department will attend on St. Patrick's Day, 1989.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 41 and 42 together.
The normal arrangements will be made for members of the Government attending St. Patrick's Day ceremonies abroad this year.
I will be in Canada for St. Patrick's Day, visiting Ottawa and Toronto. In addition to a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Mulroney on 16 March, I will attend various St. Patrick's Day ceremonies and will carry out a number of engagements with an economic focus. The Minister of State at my Department will not be travelling abroad for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
With regard to Irish Government representation at the New York St. Patrick's Day parade, I understand the Minister for Finance, Mr. Albert Reynolds, will be in New York on March 16 to speak at a seminar on the Dublin Financial Services Centre. He will remain in New York on 17 March to represent the Government at the New York St. Patrick's Day parade.
Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs assure the House that every member of the Government will make it his business to ensure that no St. Patrick's Day parade at which he or she attends will be an occasion of propaganda for support for violence in Ireland and that assurances will be sought by members of the Government that no participation in any such ceremonies or parades on the part of people who have that end in mind will be tolerated by any member of the Irish Government?
The Deputy can take it that at all stages there will be incorporated in the speeches remarks repudiating violence as a means of attaining the achievements we all desire in this island and that this will be a consistent theme in every speech made. Indeed, I am very gratified by the success that has attended this Government's efforts in this regard. A very large segment of public opinion in America now say that our step-by-step democratic approach is the only approach to solving the Northern problems. That is the thinking within the traditional Irish-American vote. They now appreciate that political dialogue will achieve a lot more results. Even among the most extreme Irish-Americans there is a growing realisation of the utter futility of the violence that has been condemned by sucessive Governments in the US and elsewhere. By way of information, the parade which I will attend in Toronto is being run by a committee which is represented equally by what one might call green and orange opinion. The traditional Northern emigrant to Toronto has now been supplemented by emigration from the south of Ireland. The Irish community there is very strong and equally represents both traditions of this island. The two traditions from this island can come together in Toronto to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on a bi-partisan basis.
You are not saying that St. Patrick was not a catholic?
Deputy McDowell, please.
Will the Minister accept that I am not worried about anything he might do in Ottawa or Toronto? I am worried that a member of the Government will sit on a reviewing stand in New York and will make speeches about violence perhaps but, at the same time, will review a parade consisting in part of people whose aim it is to support violence. Will the Minister not agree with me that it is desirable at this stage that the Irish Government should signal clearly to the organisers of this parade that Irish Ministerial involvement is contingent on a decision not to include such people in a march pass before a Minister of our Government?
We are broadening this question out of all proportion.
I sympathise with what the Deputy said and, of course, every effort will be made but anyone who knows the sort of chaos and anarchy that exists in New York on St. Patrick's Day during the parade knows that it will not be possible to do as the Deputy suggests to the fullest degree. We are not looking at a situation in a goldfish bowl.
Will the Minister, through his office, encourage the organisers of the St. Patrick's Day parades both here and abroad to adopt the theme of peace in Ireland as the theme of their parades? That will perhaps rout those who want to promote terrorism.
That will be the theme of the parade to which I am going in Toronto.
The Minister has chosen very well.