Entries by Joyce, Christopher

Last night I had the privilege of speaking at the Irish Embassy. It was definitely my personal highpoint of the trip. Here is the text of my speech.








A dhaoine usuail, is honor mor e dom bheith i lathair anseo inniu chun labhairt os comhair mo comhghleacai agus cairde an clár WIP i ambasaid na hEireann.

Ladies and gentlemen it’s a great honor to have the chance to speak at the Irish embassy in front of my colleagues and friends of the Washington Ireland programme.


My name is Christopher Joyce and I’ve just finished a corporate law degree in NUI Galway.I was born and raised in Galway City in the West of Ireland with the counties of Galway and Roscommon contributing to my genetic makeup.

The West has contributed more than its fair share to Irish emigration to America over the years. My own family tree is a testimony to this as I have many cousins spread all over the east coast of America. My parents themselves came very close to moving to America after they got married in the early 80’s due to the poor economy at home at the time. How things have changed - Two months ago, just down the road from here, Our then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern declared to a joint session of the House of Congress that after 800 years Ireland is finally at peace and a great day of hope has dawned. I can testify first hand that the WIP class of 2008 carry this hope for our island in our hearts. We realise that we are a unique generation with an unprecedented opportunity.

This summer we have had the incredible opportunity to expand our skills and knowledge by interning at some of the top offices in Washington DC. This is an experience which will stand us in good stead as we leave the comfort of university life and head out into an ever-changing and globalised workplace.

I have had the honour of working in the office of the leading irish/American congressman on the hill Peter King, a man whose strong Galway roots some would say help explain his success in life!

A valuable lesson I have learned this summer is how important it is not to be afraid to take risks in our lives.

As another great Irish American Robert F. Kennedy once said ‘Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly’.

Peter King was not fearful of failure when he got involved with the Irish Peace process. Working to obtain a visa for Gerry Adams may not have been a politically popular move within his own party but it is now viewed unanimously as a pivotal moment in convincing the republican movement that their goals could be achieved through the democratic process rather than armed conflict.

I challenge each of us in the class of 2008 to have the courage to take the necessary risks in our future lives and bring about positive change for the greater community.

The Irish playwright Sean O’Casey noted ‘every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity’.

My hope for the WIP team of 2008 is that we build on the wonderful opportunity given to us this summer and that by our actions in our lives we touch some chords that will help build a Ireland which every man, woman and child is proud to be a part of.

Go raibh a mile maith agaibh. Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen.

I have found it very difficult to find the time to blog here in Washington. My days have been action packed with work, WIP events and of course the socialising after both of the aforementioned. As Lenore my host mum commented to me one morning when I complained of tiredness one morning: ‘you’ve been burning the candle at both ends dear’. I don’t regret it however as there will be plenty of time to sleep when I get return to Ireland. I will maybe even have the time to reflect more profoundly on the summer’s events.

The best thing about the programme has been without a doubt the people I’ve met – Megan, JC Senior, The Management Team, Fellow Wipper’s, The South African 7, my work placement crew (a couple of whom better come good on their promise of coming to Ireland soon!), my host family… The list is endless!

The WIP team is made up of 26 very different and unique people – the loud and the quiet, the religious and not so religious, those politics obsessed and those not so much and of course those of us like a few drinks and those who abstain (unfortunately I can’t claim to be in this latter group!).

To be honest it was a challenge at first. Throughout our lives so far in school and university you pretty much choose the people who are you are friends with so naturally one chooses those who are of similar persuasion. The list of my friends at home that I could count as either religious or pioneers is very small, maybe even non-existent. I originally thought that I would learn the most from the leadership curriculum, and while it has been extremely useful it has been my 25 colleagues who have taught me the most.

They have challenged me on so many different levels that I have re-evaluated my own beliefs. I have learned that while with some people you can have the banter and discuss everything from Igloos to the Irish situation openly, others will not be so comfortable. It is about being able to adjust accordingly. It has been a great glimpse into the ‘real world’ and the experiment of throwing 26 people who don’t know each other together has worked incredibly well. I feel I have grown up as a person and become much more mature. I want to thank my colleagues in the WIP class of 2008 for a fantastic summer and bring on the final week!

Last Monday we met the South African WIP contingent and they told us their personal stories and experiences of growing up in South Africa. As Gary referred to in his blog it was very refreshing to see the pride each of the seven SAWIP team took in being South African. The flag and anthem are embraced by all cultures in that country. Unfortunately in Ireland symbols are still a very divisive issue. In many ways the problems South Africans face are so much bigger than ours (race, economy etc.) and it is certainly true to say that we have come a long way in Ireland but there is still a long way to go.
It has just occurred to me that perhaps the only time all the people on the island united in joy was that fateful day of Saturday, 24 February 2007 when the Ireland rugby team beat England 43-13 in Croke Park. I’m a great believer in sport bringing people together, having many friends from different countries through basketball. The legendary Belfast footballer George Best called for an All-Ireland football team (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/irish/4374631.stm - for those law students among us who like references) and perhaps one day this will become a reality. For my many unionist minded friends on WIP who may feel this would be some step towards a political united Ireland I would re-assure you that this is not the case. I would advocate this idea based purely on the idea that we need to break down the hatred and misunderstanding of each others traditions still prevalent today.
Sport has proven itself throughout history to be capable of breaking down barriers – whether we take the example of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin or the South African and Ireland rugby teams. Throughout the worst of the troubles the Irish Rugby team competed in the 4 Nations rugby tournament. I remember being told by a rugby fan in a pub once that it was the only time that southerners got the chance to mix with northern supporters who would mainly come from a unionist background and how at a time of great political strife it acted as probably the only forum where both traditions were united in support of a cause. A fair assertion to make is that Rugby in Ireland is a game predominantly played by the middle and upper classes. Soccer on the other hand it can be claimed is a game well supported by ordinary working class people. An All-Ireland team would be ground-breaking in bringing people from all backgrounds together and ensuring that our children grow up not viewing someone as being different simply because of their surname, religion or where they were born.
If we are to truly get rid of sectarianism in Ireland and make people comfortable living on this island together in peace then surely the medium of sport is the most effective and least contrived way. Belfast and Dublin are only two hours travel by car from each other but interaction among them is very limited. It is time to get rid of this ‘fear’ of each others cultures. On a lighter note I think both the Republic and the North must be tired of missing out continuously on major championships at this stage – imagine if McGeady and Duff were setting up chances for the great David Healy, if this fantasy were a reality maybe all us WIPPER’s would have a great excuse to go visit our SAWIP friends when the next World Cup is on in South Africa. Alas one can always dream!

Well Friday has arrived and I’ve finished my first week interning in Congressman Peter King’s office. The chance to work in such a prestigious office for a man who has done so much for the Irish peace process is really ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ and my experience so far has been extremely positive. I got a chance to speak to Mr. King within hours of being in the office and the fact he has family from Galway means we already have plenty in common! In my opinion Peter King’s role in bringing peace to our island cannot be understated. Adam Paulson, a legislative assistant in the office, keeps track of all Irish affairs every day to ensure everything is going smoothly in the North and this reflects a continuous commitment on Mr. King’s part to Ireland.

Sorting through the mail and answering phones certainly gives you the chance to see the issues that are bothering the American people currently. Gas Prices is certainly the number one issue right now and many people are clearly very worried about the cost of living. President Bush announced that he is looking into off-shore drilling to increase supply thereby reducing price and the media is very much focused on this issue. Of course the Obama-McCain campaign is just starting to warm so far all us politics obsessed Wipper’s we could not have picked a better time to be in the middle of it all on Capitol Hill.

Yesterday two Irish Teahcta Dála (members of Irish parliament) were visiting Mr. King as members of a Dáil committee on how to improve the way our parliamentary committees operate at home. John Perry a Fine Gael T.D. from Sligo and Noel O’Flynn a Fianna Fail T.D. from cork and they were accompanied by two senior civil servants. I was delighted to get the opportunity to sit in on the meeting and it was very insightful. Both TD’s thanked Mr. King for his efforts in bringing peace to Ireland and Mr. King then offered his advice on the effectiveness of the American committee system. I had my photo taken afterwards with them which was a really nice gesture.



Alex my supervisor is great and she has told me I will be able to attend committee hearings which I find particularly interesting so I look forward to going to a few foreign affairs hearing in the next couple weeks. The experience has been nothing but positive so far. I should be giving tours to constituents next week so I’m looking forward to that as the Capitol is an incredible building with a very interesting history. Well that’s it for now; I’ve a Ice-Cream social to attend in a couple hours!

Well what an incredible first week in D.C! After a long journey we all managed to make it past all the checks with no visa problems (although some of us found it more difficult than other…. Cough …. Andy) and into the hot humid Washington climate and a wonderful welcome from all the WIP host families. Words fail me to describe the generosity of my host family. Lenore and Mike have done everything in their power to ensure I settled in and have had a brilliant time. The food has been out of this world as I’m sure Phil will second!

We saw the Newseum on Monday (D.C.'s newest museum and involved a journey through the medias history and included an amazing 4d theatre). The 9/11 area which showed the story of the day through how the papers and television stations reported was emotional to say the least. How it would feel to anybody actually affected by that tragic days events I can only imagine.

Arlington Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon was without doubt the hottest day so far (42c or so I believe) – I am probably one of the few wipper's to enjoy the heat but even I was suffering severely that day. Seeing the Vietnam and Korea war memorials was amazing though – it really makes you realize the sacrifices previous generations have made for America and the memorials are very poignant. Walking up to the Lincoln monument and standing where Martin Luther King gave his famous 'I have a dream speech' was also inspirational in a trip that has been providing many such inspiring moments. Visiting JO Wilson and teaching the young inner city Washington kids all about Irish culture was definitly an experience that will remain with all 26 team members for a long time. The kids soaked up the irish language, dance, stories and singing and everyone had a fantastic time especially Neal who had happy birthday sung to him by everyone!

The leadership training so far has been excellent. From recognising our personality types to learning how to network the skills we are learning will be invaluable in our future careers I have no doubt. The speech writing tips delivered by WIP Board Chairman Kevin Sullivan were extremely helpful and will hopefully aid me when delivering my moment of leadership later in the summer. While we are one the subject I must mention the four excellent speeches delivered last Friday at the National Press Club by Gary, Andrew, Sarah and Elaine. What a tough act to follow! Also have to mention the Management Team, Jonathon and Megan have done an incredible job organising everything this first week – without them none of the above would have been such a success.

It would be a lie however to sign off without admitting we have had a bit of fun as well –the 90s party in my host house last Friday was a great success (Lenore you are a legend!) while there have a been a couple good nights out in D.C. as well of which I’m sure there will be many more. So its all been great so far and I will post again very soon to update you all on my work placement with Congressman Peter King’s office.