Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcoming PM Mark Carney Dublin Castle, 13 June 2026

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Príomh-Aire Carney, Diana, a dhaoine uaisle.

Prime Minister, it is my great honour and pleasure, on behalf of the people of Ireland, to welcome you both to Ireland this evening.

And, if I may say so, to welcome you home. Fáilte abhaile.

Yours is a story that began around one hundred years ago, when your grandparents left Aghagower, in County Mayo, and crossed the Atlantic in search of opportunity and a better life.

Like so many Irish families of their generation, they left people they loved, places they cherished, and a country that would always remain part of their identity.

They could scarcely have imagined that one day their grandson would return to Ireland as Prime Minister of Canada, welcomed by the people of the country they left behind.

It is an extraordinary journey. It is, in many ways, the story of Ireland itself.

For generations, Irish people looked westward across the Atlantic towards Canada. They carried with them little more than hope, determination, resilience and a belief that tomorrow could be better than today.

And Canada welcomed them in a most extraordinary way. Canada gave our people opportunity, community and a future.

There is one year that stands above all others in our shared story. 1847.

In one of the darkest times in Irish history, more than 100,000 Irish refugees arrived on Canadian shores.

Many had lost everything. Many carried grief alongside hope, and sadly many never completed the journey. But Canada opened its arms and its heart.

Next year will mark the 180th anniversary of that moment.

When I visited Ottawa last September I was honoured to launch with you the flagship “Canada–Ireland 180 [one eighty]” initiative.

This major cultural initiative will showcase the richness of talent in our two nations. In commemorating a defining moment in our shared history, it will celebrate the deep and enduring bond between our peoples which was born from adversity and compassion and sustained by community, culture and values.

Musicians, artists, scholars, students and communities across both countries are already coming together to build something special in 2027.

Today we enjoy a thriving and prosperous relationship that would have been unimaginable in 1847.

It is a relationship in which Ireland has become one of the top ten investors in Canada, supporting over 30,000 jobs across your great country.

It is one in which the incredible range of Irish companies represented in this room – innovators, investors and employers in agri-tech, life sciences, energy, construction and advanced manufacturing - are active in every province and territory of Canada.

They are creating jobs, generating new ideas and building relationships in every corner of our island.

A chairde,

Today, Prime Minister Carney and I agreed a new framework to take our relationship and partnership ever further.

It will deepen our cooperation in trade, innovation, research, technology, energy, and culture.

In the most unpredictable of global environments, we recognise that we have an opportunity to forge new and powerful ties between Ireland and Canada.

And of course, the bilateral relationship between us is complemented by the increasingly close ties between Canada and the EU.

Earlier today, Prime Minister, in your speech you set out a compelling vision of what that relationship could look like.

As we take on the EU Presidency from July onwards, we look forward to working closely with you, Prime Minister, and with our EU partners to take that important work forward.

It was fitting that your speech today also honoured a truly great Canadian - I am so pleased that General John De Chastelain and Mary Ann de Chastelain have joined us this evening.

General, your dedication to peace and reconciliation helped to change the course of this island’s history.

Your determination, skilful negotiation, and unwavering moral leadership were invaluable, and our debt to you – a debt owed by everyone who calls this island home – is as great today as it was on those historic days.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The relationship between Ireland and Canada is about something far greater than trade figures, investments or agreements.

It is about people.

It is about shared values.

It is about Warmth.

It is about friendship.

And those values are reflected in your own life, Mark.

Throughout your hugely distinguished career, you have demonstrated wisdom, integrity and leadership at moments of great consequence.

You have earned respect not only in Canada, but all around the world.

Tomorrow, you will travel back to Mayo.

You will walk the roads your grandparents once knew.

You will see the fields, the villages and the community they lived in.

And you will discover something that every member of the Irish diaspora eventually discovers.

That Ireland never forgets our own.

Tonight, we celebrate an extraordinary journey.

From Aghagower to Ottawa.

From an emigrant family to Prime Minister of Canada.

From hope carried across an ocean, to outstanding leadership on the world stage.

But above all, we celebrate the enduring friendship between our two peoples who have stood by one another through generations.

Your grandparents left Ireland seeking opportunity.

Tonight, Ireland welcomes their grandson home.

And we could not be prouder.

Prime Minister, Diana, fáilte abhaile.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.