Don’t forget vital role of Ireland in Europe

When President Higgins addressed the European Parliament recently he expressed recurring concern that the founding values of the European Union are being threatened and disregarded.

He reasserted the sentiment of Jacques Delors, who on the 20th anniversary of German reunification, opined that Europe needs a secular soul, a deficit which Delors attributed inter alia to a lack of interest by national governments.

President Higgins also cited in his address the “singular example” of three obscure European dissident thinkers as being a seminal influence on the intellectual heritage of Europe. He offered no insight as to how Ireland, or Irish genius, contributes to the vitality of contemporary Europe or whether Ireland has been the author of any initiative whatsoever that could be deemed mission-critical to the vision of the founders of the EU, a catalyst to the formation of its soul, or its humanity.

Ireland applied to become a member of the EEC in July 1961 at a time when the nation was on skid row from an economic perspective, and could not claim the degree of sophistication, prosperity and worldliness which we now take for granted, some as a consequence of closer ties to Europe and the cultural diversity, social inclusiveness and the embrace of advanced technology which flowed in the wake of this.

The 50th anniversary of the iconic, charismatic address of President John F Kennedy to Dáil Éireann will be celebrated at the end of June. On that occasion JFK proclaimed that “this has never been a rich or powerful country, and yet, since earliest times, its influence on the world has been rich and powerful”.

Would it not have been appropriate, on the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s membership of the European Union, for our President to describe, in candid and vivid terms, the influence of Ireland on the evolution of the EU, or must the citizens of Ireland rely exclusively on the remarks of distinguished articulate foreign leaders for such validation when they visit this country from time to time?

Myles Duffy

Glenageary

Co Dublin