Just over 100 years ago, the fledgling Irish Free State sent Mr. Timothy Smiddy to Washington, D.C. Ambassador Smiddy was the new Irish state’s first ever diplomatic representative, taking up duty in the first country to formally recognize the newly independent Irish state.
For Ireland, taking our place among the nations of the world meant taking our place in Washington, D.C. Ireland’s deep ties with the United States stretch back beyond the founding of our respective countries. Of the fifty-six signatories of the Declaration of Independence, three were born on the island of Ireland: Thomas McKean, Charles Carroll and James Smith.
Irish independence owes much to the ideals of liberty, democracy and equality of opportunity so eloquently expressed in this country.
As I reflect on 100 years of Irish-U.S. diplomatic relations, it is clear that our histories are interwoven, because our people are so deeply intertwined. Today, 31.5 million people claim Irish ancestry in the United States. Over the years, as our people travelled back and forth across the Atlantic, they carried with them what was precious, including their hopes, their beliefs and their values.