Speech at Afternoon Tea Reception for Community Groups
Áras an Uachtaráin, 18 September 2017
A chairde,
Ar an gcéad dul síos, is cúis mhór áthais dom féin agus do Shaidbhín fáilte a fhearadh romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu. Tá sibh tagtha ó cheann ceann na tíre agus is mór an sásamh a thugann sé dúinn sibh a fheiceáil anseo le chéile, chun an tráthnóna a chaitheamh linn agus sult a bhaint as an teach álainn seo. Bígí ar bhur shuaimhneas.
Dear friends, you are all so very welcome to Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon. Sabina and I are delighted that you have been able to visit us, travelling as you have from different parts of Ireland and indeed from as far away as Freemantle, Western Australia! You have travelled from Galway, Dublin, Wicklow, Tipperary, Louth, Cork, Meath, Offaly and Mayo to be here today, and I thank you all for joining us. It is indeed wonderful to see Dublin and Mayo come together again in the spirit of friendship after such an enthralling and spectacular All Ireland Final yesterday. I hope today will be a more relaxed occasion and that we will not be witness another clash of the Titans!
Whether you have come as members of groups and Active Retirement Associations, or with a family member or friend you are all most welcome, and I hope you are all having a truly enjoyable time. I would like to extend a particular welcome to Eva Sutton, who I am delighted to see here with us today.
Since becoming President, I have had the opportunity to welcome many visitors to the Áras. Indeed, more than thirty thousand people have visited the Áras since I came to office. Very often receptions here are formal State events where protocols must be followed, so it is especially nice to have an informal day, a day such as today when people can come together in friendship and meet other people from different parts of Ireland – but most of all a day when you can relax, make new friends and enjoy yourselves.
Sabina and I greatly value such occasions to pay tribute to people of all ages and circumstances who are doing so much to build solidarity and cohesion in our country. To all of you who care for others, who offer friendship and support, please accept my sincere thanks as Uachtarán na hÉireann.
Tá nath cainte a úsaidim ó am go chéile "ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine" agus ta tuiscint faoi leith ag daoine cosúil libhse ar an dtionchar dearfach gur féidir a bheith againn ar ár gcomharsan, ár gclann agus ar ár bpobal nuair a thugaimid cabhair, cairdeas agus tacaíocht da chéile i ngach gné d'ár saol. Agus bíonn cabhair agus tacáioch faoi leith ag teastáil ag gach éinne againn ag amannta éagsúla i rith ár saol.
At the time of my inauguration, I underlined the value of working together to build an active and inclusive citizenship based on participation, equality and respect for all. I also stated that citizens of all ages would be invited to make their own imaginative and practical contribution to the shaping of our shared future. I was delighted that 2012 – during my first year as Uachtarán na hÉireann – was designated as “European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.”
It was a year during which we were all encouraged to focus on solidarity between the different age groups within our society. Its objective was to develop and promote more cohesive communities where younger people can benefit from the knowledge, experience and wisdom of older people. There is much accomplishment in the room and a wisdom acquired from our individual and shared experiences. This is perhaps our greatest asset and is what we have to offer and to share - as parents, friends, confidantes, workers, mentors, caregivers and volunteers. All of you who are engaged in active retirement groups and community initiatives are helping to create an Ireland that recognises the importance of supporting people in their efforts to be healthy, to live independently and to be full and active participants in their communities as they grow older. You have much of which to be proud.
As people who have lived through many challenges, you all know the scale of the problems we are facing as a global community, in terms of poverty, displacement, social exclusion, and violent conflict. We have also brought our very planet and the natural systems on which we depend to a precarious position, with ecological collapse and climate change threatening to undermine the basis of our civilisations in so many ways.
In September 2015, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, we collectively agreed to do all we can to attain 17 goals for a better world. By the year 2030 we must have achieved these Sustainable Development Goals. Equally importantly, in December of that year, the nations of the world signed the Paris agreement which committed to halting, and even reversing, global warming.
Achieving less destructive models of development for this and future generations is not only a moral obligation, it is also necessary for the survival of our communities at a local and global level. It is an obligation we must do our very best to fulfil. And there is nothing to be afraid of in embracing an ethical approach to how we make our living and in being more cognisant of our impact on our local and global neighbours. Putting ethics and empathy at the heart of how we organise our economy, as well as our society, will enhance our collective experience and secure our futures on this fragile planet.
I often think of the critical role the agriculture sector has in maintaining a vibrant rural economy and its central role in protecting our natural eco-systems, water quality and even in regulating our planet's climate. Indeed, our farmers, and rural Ireland at large are crucial to our sustainable future. Farming men and women must be supported; new generations must be enabled to continue to carry out what is one of the most important and rewarding human activities on earth: the tending of the land and the cultivation of its fruits, in a way that can be sustained into the future.
Social cohesion is, of course, another core pillar of what we mean when we talk about sustainable development. I know that so many of you here understand that very well and are active in building and maintaining social cohesion through your everyday lives, in what you do to help others – family, friends, neighbours, strangers – on the most basic and human level.
Tá sibhse, agus na mílte eile cosúil libh, ag obair i gcroílár bhur bpobail, ag tabhairt cúnaimh riachtanach, agus tacaíocht nuair is gá, do bhur gcomharsan, do bhur gclann agus do bhur sochaí. Molaim sibh uile.
Despite the myriad of ways we can communicate these days, it is a cause of some concern that we are witnessing a growing feeling of isolation experienced by too many people around us. Loneliness can gnaw away at the spirit and combined with poverty, can leave people bereft of hope. We must work together to restore that hope for our shared future. I know that so many of you do so much already and I ask you to continue giving in to your best instincts by reaching out and by working towards that better world we want, and the world we owe to our children.
To conclude, agus mar fhocal scoir, may I say that it is my great wish that we all make a special effort, each in our own way, to embrace and speak our Irish language. I am the ninth Irish President, and when you hear me speaking Irish, I am continuing the work of the first President of Ireland, Dr. Dúbhghlas de hÍde – An Craoibhín Aoibhinn – who played such an important role in the cultural movement in general and, through his work at home and among the Irish in America, for the revival of the Irish language in particular.
Iarram oraibh an méid Gaeilge atá agaibh a úsáid agus iad siúd atá mórthimpeall oraibh a speagadh leis an rud chéanna a dhéanamh. Tá saibhreas mílteanach inár dteanga agus is ceangal direach í lenár noidhreacht, lenár dtimpeallacht agus lenár stair thar na mílte bliana.
Finally, may I thank all those who have helped to make today such an enjoyable and memorable event, especially our entertainers George Hunter and Edward Finnley, the first-aid volunteers from St. John of Gods and all the staff here at Áras an Uachtaráin who have worked so hard to make today a success.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir agus go dté sibh slán.
