 250th celebration of the first observance of St. Patrick's Day in the United States. It took place in Boston at 1737. The tip was there. The tip has been about every five minutes. It's been a long time. Friends of Ireland everywhere gathered to lift a common cup. And seen by some only and by others in the eye of faith. And to love no less by all of us. And to fellowship, it spans the ocean. And even spans the center aisle. And brings us together behind hands for a day. We heartily congratulate the lives of Peshach, Charles J. Hoey. And we look forward to working with his government to promote the prosperity of his people and peace and stability in Northern Ireland. We commend, most earnestly, the outgoing Peshach, our friend Gary Fitzgerald, for his skillful statesmanship in negotiating the Anglo-Irish agreement. We firmly assert that practitioners of violence of either side who would rend the fabric of tranquility and stain with innocent blood the bands of brotherly reconciliation that have no support in the United States. And on this day of reconciliation, I give it a pleasure to toast to the presidents, to the President of the Republic of Ireland, the Honorable Patrick Keller. Now, for many things, a very great pleasure on this day to toast to one who has given eloquent expression and the inspiration and leadership of his administration to the goals of enduring Anglo-Irish friendship and a binding peace in Northern Ireland with a son of an Irish woman named John Reagan, the President of the United States. Honored guests, it's a pleasure for me to be with you sharing in the spirit of this magnificent day and talk about the luck of the Irish. I got over that case of a laryngitis that was plaguing the last week of all the time. Especially when I see my old friend Tip O'Neill, I can't help but feel for living testimony to the notion that Irish women are a good scrap. Some of us have been in a few of them in our day. Before we leave Washington, I'm certain we'll be in a few more. I remember my dear father once told me of a fella who walked into a saloon pounded on the bar and said in an old voice, show me an Irishman and I'll show you a win. About a six and a half foot Irishman stepped forward holding up his short sleeves as he did so. He said, I'm Irish. And the fella said, I'm a wimp. As today, everyone wants to be Irish. It's gratifying to find that so many of our friends are Irish at least for the day. There's Sean Byrd, Seamus Wright, and of course, Patty O'Dowell. Today is a day for good fun and a sector's happiness for all Irishmen. I should have known that an Irish woman would have had this thought. But not all Irishmen are as witty as we would like to think. You know, the story of an Irishman was walking down the road. He had a great sack tied over his shoulders. The lines fell along the road. He said, if I can guess how many potatoes you have in that sack, then I have one. And the Irishman replied, if you can guess how many potatoes in the sack, you can have both of them. Seriously, but in America, I'm blessed by her Irish shoulders. One arrival earlier in this century, and I like to talk about it, was his first day in New York. He was in a young fella, and he started out across Broadway against the light. And a New York cop grabbed him and said, where do you think you're going? He said, I'm simply trying to get to the other side of the street. But when that New York cop heard that road being warmed right up, and he said, on our right, he said, come back here and stay right here. He says, when that light turns green, he says, that's for you to go to the other side of the street. So he stood there, waiting for the light to turn green. He stood there, waiting for a few seconds, as they do, and then turned green. He started out, he got about 10 or 12 feet out, turned back to the cop. And he said, they don't give them damn Protestants much time, do they? That's her role. The first St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston was recorded as far back as 1737. It's interesting to note that during the American Revolution, it was on St. Patrick's Day, 1776, when the Irish ended their... British ended their occupation of Boston and evacuated the city. One can only wonder if it was the American cannons on Dorchester Heights that thought of spending during another St. Patrick's Day celebration that demoralized them so. Seriously though, we Americans of every percent would be proud of the part our ancestors played in building this great country, even from its earliest days. Ben Franklin may have been the first to know the Irish influence. In 1784, he wrote, it is a fact that the Irish immigrants and their children are now in possession of the government in Pennsylvania by their majority in the assembly as well as of a great part of the territory. And I remember well the first shield that brought any of them over. Benjamin Franklin said that. One wonders what old Ben would say if he were to be with us during today. Knowing that he was a man who loved a good time, I'm certain that he put on a sham rock and called himself Ben General Franklin just for the occasion. Our forefathers and mothers were people with a passion for liberty and justice. So today, let us remember them and live up to the great expectations they had for us and for this beloved country of ours. I came across something that was labeled as an old Irish curse or blessing. May those who love us love us. And those that don't love us, may the Lord turn their hearts. And if the Lord doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their angles so they can recognize them by their wimpy. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. These are my privilege if you will allow me. Please do this in the Philadelphia style, which is that you only rise to toast to death. I was worried about your pricing long ago. But, do our guess, please. We have so many friends of our countryman day of all that we know with more pride and feral to express our deep appreciation for organizing this very pleasant warm and happy gathering. May I say to all our American friends that I'm very glad that it's also today my predecessor, Dr. Garakas, my world, which has such a special relationship with all of ours. And I should particularly like to avail of this occasion to thank you, Mr. President. Thank the former speaker, Mr. Tick-O'-Lean, and our gracious host today, the present speaker, Mr. Rice, and all the friends of ours and all our friends and colleagues for their support and encouragement in the Anglo-Irish agreement and the international fund for Ireland. That fund, President Dewey, were graciously not to inform us that you signed the certificate for today. We hope to enlist the support of the friends of Ireland for other objectives, which we will be pursuing on the U.S. We have a special concern about the status of the many of the young Irish immigrants who have come to this country in recent years, and whose legal position is far from satisfied. I want to personally welcome more than one quarter of a million Americans to Ireland this year, and a very warm welcome awaits them. As none other than the President of the United States and South can confirm, with the hospitality of the people, and all of the many other attractions are there to be involved. And to nowhere, anywhere in the world, is the American visitor more warm and welcome or more appreciated than the Irish. Ireland today also offers the American industry the most profitable and best of location in Europe. In the period immediately ahead the Irish government will be concentrating our efforts to cover and revitalizing the economy and aggressively pursuing investment, employment and a great success. On this visit and subsequently I will be extending the U.S. business very specific and genuine invitation to participate actively and publicly in our program of economic recovery. We will seek to direct their attention particularly to growth sector, like financial services, future software, information technology, food processing and biotechnology, tourism, chemical, technology. I know that a visitor never been so wonderfully impressed with the philosophy of checks and balances. I always thought that if we wrote too many checks we wouldn't have any balances. When I was in Ireland on the 17th or before the 17th of March a few years ago I wrote back some shamrock and I planted them in a planter. They grew and flourished until a heat of summer came and then they wilted. These if they have roots