THE Republic is a first-world country with a third-world memory, the President, Mrs McAleese, has said.
Concluding her visit to California with a speech to a Bord Failte-sponsored breakfast, a reception at the official residence of the Los Angeles Mayor, Mr Richard Riordan, and a speech to the World Affairs Council, an influential group of businessman and locally-based diplomats, Mrs McAleese described herself as an ambassador for modern Ireland.
She told the council that the Republic once had been a country frightened of engagement with the bigger world, a place where an atmosphere of post-independent protectionism had prevailed. Today, the Republic was a land of booming economic growth and cultural pride. "It is important that we do not complacently assume that economic success and social disparity inevitably go hand in hand. We can and must do something to bridge this growing gap, and never before have we had such powerful means at our disposal to achieve this. We now have the economic strength, the growth rates, the prosperity. What we need is the will to make it happen."
Mrs McAleese declared: "We are a vibrant first-world country, but we have humbling third-world memory. That mix gives us a special ethos.
"Social inclusion does not means fostering dependency. It should be about offering people the encouragement, the education and the skills and the opportunities which will enable them to have the dignity of independence."
At the mayoral reception, the President said: "The growth of the Irish film industry and the increasing number of Irish and Irish-American actors, writers and directors who have achieved success in Hollywood are a source of pride to us all."
Yet it seemed odd to many that Mrs McAleese did not meet any entertainment industry figures who have an interest in Ireland and whose support for the film industry is considered crucial. Major movie studios have their headquarters in Los Angeles. A spokeswoman for the President said a decision had been made not to focus on the entertainment industry. Film industry people would have been most interested in questions about tax incentives for filming in the State and the President was not prepared to discuss that issue in depth.
Last night Mrs McAleese and the minister for Foreign Affairs met Vice President Al Gore in San Francisco, Mr Andrews spoke to Mr Gore about the situation in East Timor and highlighted the plight of refugees in West Timor. He also briefed Mr Gore on the situation in the North.