Ahern speech: 'I want to warmly welcome you all to the site of the Battle of the Boyne today. I extend a special welcome to the First Minister, Dr Ian Paisley, and Baroness Eileen, and to all who have travelled from Northern Ireland to be here with us.
When we met at Farmleigh last month, Dr Paisley accepted my invitation to come here today. He said that he was not coming to re-fight the battle.
I must admit that when he arrived this morning bearing a cavalry carbine, I had some brief doubts!
This is, of course, a special place for the Protestant, unionist and loyalist people of this island. The Government was deeply conscious of this when we acquired the site in 2000.
Since then, we have launched a development programme, which will see the completion of new visitor facilities next year and which will secure over 500 acres of beautiful countryside for future generations to enjoy.
The importance of this site extends far beyond its significance for one tradition alone.
Our history is complex. So was the battle fought on this ground.
Catholics and Protestants fought on both sides. Though the battle is remembered as a defining moment in our own history, it was also part of a greater European conflict. People from many European states were present at the battle and I am delighted that we have ambassadors from those countries here with us today as well.
The consequences of that period in our history are still the subject of political and historical debate.
Among other things, it was a period that saw the beginning of a long history of parliamentary democracy in these islands.
For Ireland, that too provided a mixed legacy over the centuries.
But earlier this week, it was the power of democracy that provided the means for Dr Paisley and his colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive to take a historic step towards shaping a better future.
As we move away from our troubled past on this island, we can look around the world and see those places that do not have the freedom, peace and prosperity that we have.
Our democracy and our liberties are precious gifts and a heritage we should not - and do not - take lightly.
As we work to build a shared future, we are all coming to acknowledge that we have a shared and complex past. It is important for us all that we acknowledge and celebrate that history in all its complexity.
We owe it to the generations that preceded us but, most of all, we owe it to those who will follow.
Last year, we marked the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising and the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. This year sees the 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls and the beginning of the Plantation of Ulster.
All of these dates and anniversaries have different meanings and evoke different emotions for those of us who are gathered here today. It will take time and hard work to heal all the wounds of those times and of our more recent tragic history. But we have made a fantastic start in recent times.
The events of these past few weeks bring forth the same shared feelings of hope and optimism in all of the people of this island and, indeed, across the world. Today is a further demonstration of how far we have come.
We can now celebrate our diversity, as well as what we have in common. We can learn from the past so that the next generation more clearly understands the possibilities of the future.
Last October, as we concluded the St Andrews Agreement, I presented Dr Paisley with a bowl, carved from the ancient walnut tree which stood at this site for 300 years and which still lies on the meadow in front of Oldbridge House.
I would like to invite him shortly to join me in symbolically marking a new phase in our relations by planting a sapling, nurtured from that walnut tree.
We will do so in a spirit of friendship and of mutual respect.
We cannot change what went before, on this ground or across these islands. But history can take many turns. Today, in this special place from our history, is another good day.'
Paisley speech (edited)
The following is an edited version of First Minister Ian Paisley's address:
'In ancient verse we are reminded of the glorious words: "On the green grassy slopes of the Boyne, where King William with others did join, to defend his religion and his people, on the green grassy slopes of the Boyne."
It is fitting that we should spend some time to remember the Battle of the Boyne. I want to thank you prime minister for delivering on your promise to me that you would reinstate this remarkable unspoilt national treasure and open to the public this battle site. Your staff and department of public works have done a magnificent job and I congratulate you all.
The Boyne conjures up all manner of stereotypes, many of which are far from the reality of what this ground signifies.
For Protestants and unionists the Boyne carries with it a powerful significance for our culture, our history and our pride. It represents liberty, triumph and determination, features that have too often been forgotten because of more recent troubles.
But as you said, those days are now behind us.
For these islands, the Boyne settled the constitution of the monarchy and our parliament for over 200 years.
For Europe, the Boyne was the centrepiece of a series of dynastic disputes that posed relatives on opposite sides in the struggle for power over a disputed territory.
But it is here in Ireland that the Boyne is most significant. I welcome that at last we can embrace this battle site as part of our shared history. Understanding our past is the only sure way to understand the present. For that reason I welcome the commitment the Government has given to developing the tourist potential of this battle site. I look forward to seeing the site develop and would ask you to reinstate the northern field monument lost in The Troubles.
Instead of reverberating to the roar of cannon fire, or the charge of men, the shot of musket or the clash of sword steel, today we have the tranquillity of still water, where we can contemplate those glorious defenders on these green grassy slopes.
Patrick Kavanagh, the poet, wrote words about your own Dublin constituency prime minister, and they are fitting for this day: "Commemorate me where there is water."
Today we are commemorating not just the Battle of the Boyne by the still waters that once echoed to battle cry. But we are cementing a better relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic, one based on mutual respect and good neighbourliness.
Someone once joked, "we won the battle but they got to keep the river". Today the Government and the department of public works have demonstrated in a practical manner that a significant historical site for unionists, that could have been destroyed, has been saved and commemorated for all to enjoy. And for that I say a hearty Ulster "thank you".
I wanted to do something special to mark this moment. I have a constituent, Hubert Brown Kerr from Ballymena. Hubert is an enthusiastic historian with a particular interest in battle memorabilia. When he heard about the work that had been done here he said that he could help me mark this moment.
I am pleased to present you and this site with a 350-year-old short carbine musket that was carried here all those years ago. When you touch this musket you feel the history of the time. Hubert has kindly permitted me, as his member of parliament, to present this carbine on loan to the Government to display here, so as many can have a sense of that history.
Last year at St Andrews you kindly presented me with a beautiful wooden bowl, made from a great oak tree that stood here in front of this great mansion house. At that time I said, "welcome home".
This musket was used by a soldier in King James's army, I need not remind you that was the losing side. But you can declare to this weapon "welcome home".'