President praises 'formidable network' of Irish diaspora at launch of RTÉ series

THE FIVE million or so inhabitants of this island have over 75 million human connections worldwide whose lives form part of our past, present and future, according to President Mary McAleese.

Speaking in Dublin yesterday at the launch of a four-part RTÉ television documentary series, The Importance of Being Irish , Mrs McAleese said we are fortunate to have a generation of "highly educated, immensely confident, cosmopolitan, young Irish men and women".

"They have a better chance than any generation before to make their mark at home or in a place of their choice and not the choice of capricious external forces," she said.

"The old Irish emigrant communities around the world have bequeathed to them a formidable network and resource base which has breathed fresh energy into our economy, our culture and our peace process."

"We draw from many wells of experience and we have an infinity of unsung heroes, heroines, successes and transcendent inspirational stories yet to be told.

"This series will do much to unpack some of those stories and to open us up much more fully to our continuing and changing narrative as a people," Mrs McAleese said.

The new series aims to examine the story of Ireland's past, starting with the post second World War period, and culminating with a look towards the future, in the context of the Ireland versus England rugby match at Croke Park in 2007.

Participants in the series include Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin; former taoisigh Dr Garret FitzGerald and John Bruton; chairman of Goldman Sachs International and former attorney general Peter Sutherland; and former president Mary Robinson.

Other contributors include Tom Arnold, chief executive of Concern Worldwide; David O'Reilly, chief executive of Chevron-Texaco; Prof Roy Foster, professor of Irish history at Oxford University; and Samantha Power, Pulitzer prize winner and adviser to US presidential candidate senator Barack Obama.

The first episode of the series will air at 10.15pm on Tuesday, March 18th on RTÉ One.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times