Ms Kelly Flynn
When invited to give a greeting at school for Perú’s National Holiday, I thought immediately of the message sent out last year from Irish President Michael D. Higgins for the 200th Anniversary of Peruvian Independence from Spain. I also recalled the fact that President Higgins was awarded Peru’s highest honour in 2017 at Lima’s presidential palace. The honour – the Order of the Sun, or el Orden del Sol – was given to the Irish President in recognition of "his interest in the defence and promotion of human rights, peace, democracy and inclusive citizenship, as well as culture" (Collyns).
The Irish president, in his speech at that time, recalled his very first visit to Peru in 1988 and he observed that more than three decades on, so much has changed here in Peru. As it has moved towards different forms of democratic inclusion and participation, many have been lifted out of poverty, literacy rates have increased and Peru has led the way in innovative provisions to protect the natural environment. (Higgins)
“In that time there has also been a progressive increase in exchanges; political, cultural, academic, scientific and commercial between the countries of Ireland and Peru; reinforcing how much we share perspectives on so many important matters that we each face”. (Higgins)
“Irish and Peruvian people are united by common experiences and mutual sympathy for our respective struggles for freedom, both challenging colonialism in the same century, and consequently, Peru like Ireland has sought to distil critical ingredients from their experiences of colonisation and great hardship, to develop and share a vision of a world rooted in the spirit of partnership, empathy and cooperation”. (Higgins)
We also share bonds of imagination, a deep respect for myth and indeginious wisdom, and a joy in taking any opportunity we can to showcase our National pride. This I have witnessed here in Peru during football matches. Whatever the outcome; Peruvians love to come together and Unite with great spirit; reminiscent of my own culture in similar situations, we too are good losers, and have engaged in similar displays of great sportsmanship many times! Indeed it has been very heartwarming to see the display of nationalism here on those occasions in a sea of red comparable to the sea of green observed on St Patrick’s day celebrations back home in Ireland.
Peru’s astonishing natural beauty, diverse culture and landscape has fascinated thousands of irish visitors through the years (and this year after waiting patiently for the majority of my first year of residence here in Peru locked indoors due the pandemic) I have certainly revelled in being one of them, visiting wonderous sites such as Machu Picchu, Huacachina, the Nazca lines, Luananah and many more!
“I hope that Ireland and Peru continue to work together strengthening the warm friendship that already exists between our two nations, cooperating on new ethics for our times and building much needed global solidarities for the shared future of humanity and our vulnerable planet”. (Higgins)
Wishing A very happy and healthy National Holiday and Independence Day to all!
Bibliography:
Collyns, Dan “Michael D Higgins awarded Peru’s highest honour. President and Peruvian leader pledge to deepen bilateral relations between countries.” The Irish Times, 10 Feb 2017, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/michael-d-higgins-awarded-peru-s-highest-honour-1.2971444. Accessed 27 June 2022
Higgins, Michael “Message from President Michael D. Higgins for the 200th Anniversary of Peruvian Independence” YouTube, 5 July 2021https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUYcLZhO54AAccessed 26 June 2022