Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the Civic Reception hosted by Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, 13 November 2007

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I want to thank you for the warm and kind welcome that you and the City of Dublin have given us and for your kind words. It is a great pleasure for me to pay a state visit to your beautiful country and an honour to visit this historical Mansion House.

The City of Dublin was founded by Vikings, and it has been Ireland's principal city since medieval times. Today, Dublin is an internationally important economic and cultural centre, and – as I have been told – has one of the fastest growing populations of any European capital city.

The Irish and the Finns get along with each other very well. Perhaps it is easy to relate to one another when we both come from small countries. It is difficult to say how far back in history our contacts actually go. Two Irish writers, Roger McHugh and Max Caulfield, insist that a Finnish sailor fought on the Irish side during the Easter Rising in 1916. The General Post Office, which was the centre of the rising, is close by here. We do not know who the Finnish sailor might have been or whether the story is true at all. But even if it is only a myth, it nevertheless shows a strong affinity between our nations.

About ten years ago when the then President of Finland, my predecessor Martti Ahtisaari, visited Ireland, he expressed a wish that our two capitals would be tied by a direct flight connection – so that the Finns and the Irish could be more easily in contact with each other. Today, I am glad to note that this has come true. A number of airlines have started regular flights between Ireland and Finland, the latest being Aer Lingus with regular flights from Dublin to Helsinki from the end of October.

Dublin has long been attracting many Finns as a cultural city and a popular destination for travelling. Thousands of Finns travel to your city every year for both leisure and business. We Finns appreciate the warm atmosphere here and your hospitality. It is easy to see why Dublin was recently voted as the friendliest city in Europe.

In many ways, the two capitals, Dublin and Helsinki, are facing the same opportunities and challenges of globalisation. More and more people want to live in the capital area and, at the same time, the cities need to respond to the fast pace of international development. I have been told about your ambitious plans for the construction of the future Dublin. I hope to be able to visit Dublin again to see how your plans evolve.

Mr Lord Mayor, once more, my warmest thanks for your hospitality and above all for this opportunity to visit you and your residence.