It is my great pleasure to recognise Austria National Day 2022. Ireland and the Irish have had an enormous influence throughout history, not only on Austria but on western and central Europe as a whole. Austria gave refuge to generations of the Wild Geese and their descendants, with names like O'Donnell, Lacy, Browne, Kavanagh and Laudon having entered the annals of Austrian military history. Maximilian O'Donnell saved the life of Emperor Franz Joseph during an assassination attempt in 1853 and received the title of Count from the Emperor. The events of that fateful day still mark the Viennese skyline, with the landmark Votivkirche constructed in celebration and thanks for the Emperor's rescue.
It is a source of great pride that a Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Vienna continues to be a place of outstanding scholarship, providing a home for high-level research by Irish and Austrian scholars alike. In the military academy in Wiener Neustadt are 30 portraits of Austria's most distinguished commanders, at least 12 of whom are Irish or have Irish origins. One was from a famous aristocratic family here.
The relationship between Ireland and Austria has deep historical roots dating back to the Irishman Fergal or Virgilius, the Bishop of Salzburg in the eighth century. The Irish monk Colmán was martyred at Stockerau near Vienna in 1012 and for centuries was venerated as Austria's national saint. Irish Benedictines were instrumental in making Vienna the capital of Austria. St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in the Austrian capital since the 12th century. The dark days of the Second World War brought Austria’s most famous export to Ireland. Erwin Schrödinger, the famous Austrian physicist and Nobel Prize winner, migrated to Dublin in 1940. He was invited by Éamon de Valera personally and established the Institute of Advanced Studies in Dublin.
Ambassador Thomas Nader is in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery today and I had the pleasure of speaking to him earlier. I draw the attention of the House to the fact that the ambassador is on his second mission to Ireland. He sought that mission because he has a tremendous love of our country and has developed a network of friends here. He was thwarted somewhat by Covid-19 but is now embarking on what we hope will be a particularly fruitful second term. We all look forward to interacting with him. I have the great privilege of being a member of his friendship society, along with a number of other Senators who are present today. We look forward to strengthening those relationships. I wish Ambassador Nader and all Austrians, including those living in Ireland, a very happy national day. It is wonderful to have the ambassador with us today.