Madame President, Mayor Burns, Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen it is a great pleasure to be here this evening. Newry Chamber of Commerce events are famous for their attendances and this evening appears to be no exception. I feel very honoured to be here tonight amongst so many distinguished business people who are known the length and breadth of Ireland.

Newryi's welcomes are legendary - so legendary in fact that as far back as 1500 years ago- the Kings of Ulster who occasionally fixed their court at Newry - had their generosity recorded by the Filedha or Bards who at that time were out of favour with the Court of Tara. Amongst the earliest recordings of a Newry welcome it stated that: 'When Malachi of Minstrels reigned, in yonder Iubhar Chinn Tragha, twelve hundred bards then shelter found beside his tall north-eastern yew.' So maybe history is being repeated this evening by the attendance of this modern Dublin minstrel from the court of Tara being given shelter in Newry!

Of course, I can now claim to be part of the Newry business community and indirectly the Newry Chamber of Commerce through my recent membership of the International Advisory Board of Gerry O Hare's - Parkergreen International. So Orla (Orla is CEO of Newry Chamber of Commerce) - can I have my membership card for the Chamber. Later on I will let you in on a little Parkergreen secret. But first let me say a few things about our economy, our politics and our shared future.

One would need to be living on Mars not to notice that we are living in unchartered economic times. The problems we face are global and will require a co-ordinated global response. The Irish Government has led the way in giving that response. Others will follow. The Government has been decisive. It has acted in support of the economy and public welfare. At times of great burden it is the responsibility of the State to remove the threat against public well being and to shoulder that burden in order to bolster the support mechanisms that underpin the kind of national prosperity that Ireland has enjoyed over the past 15 years.

Of course, over the past fifteen years there have been those who forecast the doom of the Irish economic miracle but let me be clear; the current problems are not the creation of Irish government policy - they are borne of the failures in other jurisdictions and the sharp practices of some in the financial services sector.

Sean Lemass - one of my heroes - saw the primary responsibility of creating economic prosperity lying with the State when he along with - Rostrevor born - Ken Whitaker laid the foundations for a new economic era for Ireland.

However Lemass also recognised the essential nature of partnership in securing economic progress and such partnership as pioneered by governments under my leadership between the State, our social partners and business acts can act as a formidable bulwark against turbulent economic times.

'The effort' said Lemass; ' of achieving progress and prosperity cannot be secured by Government alone but with the promotion of a sufficient and expanding volume of investment on private account'. To that end in these uncertain economic times when the Irish Government has done its bit - it is now over to the banking sector to reflect the Government's good faith by responding in kind to the investment proposals and activities planned by entrepreneurs and business people like you throughout the island.

It would be a failure, if not a betrayal of the Irish people if the banks do not create the type of credit flow that the economy now needs. It has to be said - that the greed and avarice of some in the financial services sector particularly - though not confined to - the US is responsible for this collapse of faith in the sector. Just as unaccountable communism is a tragedy for people living under its yoke - unabated capitalism is a threat to equitable economic prosperity. As it says in the Good Book; 'In all things let there be moderation' and if the financial services sector cannot moderate itself - then governments will have to find better ways of enforcing regulation.

But moderation seems a good stopping off point to speak about our politics. As the fortunes of the British Labour government seem to ebb and flow in equal measure I was reminded of a story recently about Tony Blair. - He was out skating on a frozen pond when he fell in. Luckily three little boys were close by and managed to pull him out.

'You've saved my life' says Tony. 'How could I repay you?' 'I'd like a toy car' says the first. 'I'd like a toy plane' says the second. 'I'd like a motorised wheelchair' says the third. 'Why do you want a wheelchair?' says Tony. 'You look very healthy to me.' 'I am' says the little boy. 'But I'm going to need one when my Dad discovers - I saved Tony Blair'. Yet the Irish experience of Tony Blair is of a man worth saving. He was a true friend of mine and a true friend of Ireland and history will remember that.

Many Irish Taoisigh have had to put it mildly, 'ups and downs' in their relationships with successive British Prime Ministers. Who can ever forget - Thatcher's famous 'Out! Out! Out!'

But to be honest in creating a framework that people could subscribe to - I recognised a long time ago and I acknowledged as much in Westminster when speaking to the joint Houses of Parliament that: - 'No two nations and no two peoples have closer ties of history and geography and of family and friendship' than Britain and Ireland. Tony Blair recognised that too - very early on in his premiership. And to be fair with much more at stake politically and personally - John Major recognised that too. Through the new maturity of these relationships between the Governments of Ireland and Britain the foundations for peace was cemented.

It's fair too that here in Newry we acknowledge the contribution of people like Seamus Mallon and Eddie Mc Grady for their unfaltering commitment to finding an inclusive political solution when at times it appeared that no one else was listening.

But eventually they did listen and since the Good Friday Agreement - notwithstanding its difficulties - we have reached an understanding that acknowledges that divided we have nothing- but together our opportunities are limitless.

Sixteen months ago I was full of optimism for the future of all the people in Northern Ireland. Tuesday 8th May 2007 was a day which I felt would define not only our generation but the next. The images of Martin McGuiness and Ian Paisley centre stage were a marketers dream for Northern Ireland. It was a day when words were not needed but the words of Dr Paisley that 'Today we have begun to plant and we await the harvest' seemed to set a tone of renewal and re-birth for Northern Ireland. For once it looked as if Northern Ireland was trading on hope - not fear.

Back then it seemed as if the full potential and genius of the Good Friday Agreement would unfold in the interests of all the people on this island and the interests of both Britain and Ireland.

Today that optimism is somewhat blunted by an apparent political regression that has the potential to unravel much of what has been gained. This should not be allowed to happen. It would be a travesty for not only those who worked as peacemakers but for those victims and families of the past thirty years who paid the ultimate price for not having peace.

But to all sides in the Northern Ireland Executive may - I remind them that it is the business of politicians to find solutions based on compromise and practicality. As the world faces real issues of a magnitude unimagined by this generation - Northern Ireland cannot afford to bury its head in the sand faced with a new kind of new politics and new economic realities. I remind them that the people of Northern Ireland are awaiting their harvest and it' now overdue.

For people in Newry and district - the harvest is being gathered. As Madame President - this city and district has had the foresight to be ahead of the political and business curve for the past twenty years. It pioneered power-sharing and led on North/South Co-operation. The area has more than contributed to the social, economic, and cultural life of Ireland. I have already referred to Ken Whitaker who has contributed so much to the economic prosperity of Ireland but this is the area where Trade Union leader James Larkin had his roots; its where the Quinn dynasty hail from; it's the town of Mitchel; it's the home of Charles Russell - the former Lord Chief Justice of England and friend of Gladstone and more importantly its where sporting legend Pat Jennings grew up.

At a national level in politics, Newry and Mourne gave us Frank Aiken - former FF Foreign Minister and relative of local MP - Conor Murphy and also An Uachtarain Mary Mc Aleese and I believe that the British Ambassador to the Vatican - Francis Campbell hails from the area.

So it's clear that Newry is a place that likes to cover its bases in this world and the next!

In business Newry has some world class companies such as First Derivatives, Norbrook, FM Environmental and Glen Dimplex. In terms of commerce this truly is the gap of the North and as the epi-centre of the Belfast to Dublin economic corridor is the rightful home to InterTradeIreland. It's not surprising that Invest NI has had the confidence to locate its World Disaster Recovery Centre in Newry ahead of places like Belfast.

Newry is reflects modern Ireland and is the face of the new Northern Ireland, confident, tolerant, inclusive, pluralist and ambitious. Given its recent past the area deserves to be to the forefront of Irelandi's economic renaissances. I would like to thank the Council in particular for its commitment protecting diversity and also to the Altnaveigh Cultural Centre for its programme of outreach.

Now I said I would let you in on a little Parkergreen International secret (I hope Gerry doesn't mind) - this week will see the green light being given for the area's newest, greenest, environmentally friendly and technologically advanced office development in the district - a 200,00 sq ft office block down at the Quays. Quite a statement in the confidence of the future of this area and only one of many clear signals to the NI Executive that Newry is ready and able to implement the proposals of the Bain report on the de-centralisation of jobs to places outside of Belfast.

Finally let me end not with my words but with the words of Francis Small - better known by his pen name Newriensis who wrote an Historical Sketch of Newry in 1876 - in his last paragraph he writes 'the writer now feels that the time has come for him to lay down his pen....he is satisfied that he is desisting from his task at a point where Newry is in a highly progressive state, its people comfortably off and its various industries in a satisfactory condition. Let us hope that when the historian of the future undertakes a similar work, he will have to chronicle a yet brighter and more prosperous era, when our town will have taken the position to which it was entitled by its situation, its size, and the commercial enterprise of its people'.

Madame President, I can think of no better vision of the future for Newry than that of Francis Small. So for you, your Chamber and this district may your ambitions surpass the aspirations to which are you are entitled. Many thanks.