Ireland owes a debt of gratitude to its diaspora, President Michael D Higgins said yesterday. Speaking at the presentation of the Tip O'Neill Irish Diaspora Award in Co Donegal last night, the President said Ireland's story was one of great hunger and forced exile but also of new beginnings.

“As a nation we are very conscious of the great debt of gratitude we owe to the many members of our diaspora who remain loyal to the country in which they or their forefathers were born; generously supporting and encouraging those who remained at home and helping to shape and craft the modern Ireland we know today.

“Ireland’s migration story is one of dispossession, hunger and forced exile. It is a story that contains hardship, destitution and great suffering. It is also a story, however, of many twists and turns and new beginnings, woven throughout with tales of opportunity seized, innovation and reinvention; and above all, the importance given to education and to participation in public service and politics.”

President Higgins presented the third Tip O'Neill award to senator Therese Murray, president of the Massachusetts state senate. He also referred to the role of Tip O'Neill in creating peace in Northern Ireland. "His vision and his determination to make Ireland a better place were crucial in the negotiations that led to the Anglo Irish Agreement in 1985 and the establishment of the International Fund for Ireland."