Sir, - Thanks be to God, a thousand St Patrick's days have come at once! An Irish citizen has finally acknowledged the strength of Irish emigration to Australia. In a TV interview in Sydney, President Mary McAleese said that one of the reasons she chose Australia as the first nation to visit in her capacity as Irish President was because "per head of population Australia has more people with Irish ancestry than any country in the world, outside of Ireland."
What a grand lady your President is. For years I have belted Irish friends about the ears with the fact the most Irish people think that "EMIGRATIONUSA" is an indivisible word. The Irish people have never realised how critically important the Irish immigrant was to Australia in the last century. In the 1860s over a third of the population of Australia was of Irish birth. Even today, one in three of all Australians is proud to have some Irish blood in their veins - which is the reason that, nearly 160 years after the leaving of Ireland, the youngest member of our clan is a redhead called Ciaran Patrick Bogan. I have been vindicated by the highest in your land. Sean Hannigan of Mullingar, Tony Hogan of Roscrea, Mary Ann O'Carroll of Ballybrack, Paddy Dalton of CBC James Street and the Fitzpatrick family of Inchicore, all please take note. - Yours, etc., Peter L. Bogan,
Maitland,
New South Wales,
Australia.