Speech at the Official Opening of the Exhibition, ‘Parks. Our Shared Heritage’
Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin, 6 April 2017
It is a great pleasure to be here this evening to celebrate a rich heritage that we, as neighbours, share - the concept of the public park. The public park as a contribution to the democratic use of the public space is a concept that required evolution. This most interesting exhibition invites us to reflect on that shared heritage; and its part in the rich history that binds us together as neighbours and friends.
May I thank the Commissioners of Public Works for their invitation to join you all here today, and thus enabling me to extend a sincere welcome to our neighbours from the United Kingdom, in particular the Director of the Department for Sport, Heritage and Tourism, Claire Pillman, and Loyd Grossman who is, of course, Chairman of the Royal Parks. On my visits to London I was delighted to have the opportunity to be brought through some of the parks by a most informed and welcoming staff.
This exhibition is a most impressive one spanning, as it does, three centuries of complex history between our two nations. It invites us to reflect, not only on the great legacy that constitutes the parks themselves, but also on the shared journey that has formed, shaped and brought us into the contemporary moment.
Is í ócáid na hoíche seo toradh de thógra mór fada, tógra a thosaigh an Dr. John McCullen, iar-Ard-Cheannfort Pháirc an Fhionn Uisce, atá éacht deanta aige trína mblianta fada ag tabhairt faoi thaighde ar stair na Páirce; agus is mian liom aitheantas a thabhairt chomh maith don méid a rinne Daniel Hearsum nuair a ghlac sé athchóiriú Pembroke Lodge i Richmond Park Londan ar féin fiche bliain ó shin.
[This evening is, of course, the culmination of another journey; a journey undertaken by Dr John McCullen, former Chief Superintendent of the Phoenix Park, who has made his own very distinguished contribution by spending many years researching the history of the Phoenix Park; and I wish to acknowledge too the contribution of Daniel Hearsum who some twenty years ago undertook the restoration of Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park in London.]
Both of these projects led to the reclamation of a wealth of historical treasure that has now been generously brought together thus enabling us to engage, in a direct and enriching way, with the social and artistic history that is the great legacy of the Phoenix Park in Dublin and the Royal Parks in London.
The five themes of the exhibition:
· Early years and formation;
· Celebration and commemoration;
· People at play;
· Military and the War years; and
· Park Management
remind us of the multifaceted role that our great parks have been called upon to play, at different times and with different functional purpose, even different ideological intent.
The multi-layered texture of our parks’ story, and the integral role that they have played in the complex social history of our nations, is captured in this imaginatively curated exhibition.
Through the plans and images presented for our view and reflection we can trace the physical development and evolution of our parks; how they have evolved over time, changing but always retaining a sensitivity to, and respect for, their rich history.
The portraits, artefacts and photographs which make up this exhibition bring us into the many lives touched by or intertwined with our great parks. Winston Churchill for instance, lived from the age of two until six, here in the Phoenix Park. He lived in the building we now call Ratra House but which was then known as Little Lodge. He described those years as amongst the happiest of his life.
The photograph on display of four generations of the Royal Family, taken at White Lodge in Richmond Park during the christening of Edward VII – who is held in the arms of his great grandmother Queen Victoria – like so many of the photographs here this evening, illustrates vividly the profound connection between our historical parks and many of those figures who have brought their influence to bear on individual moments of history.
It has, of course, been interesting to gain further insight into the story of Áras an Uachtaráin, a building which Sabina and I have had the great fortune to call ‘home’ in recent years. Áras an Uachtaráin has known many occupants and lives, and in this exhibition we are enabled to trace its journey from its roots as an eighteenth century Park Ranger’s Lodge to its present as a much visited place in the ownership and care of the people of Ireland. Tens of thousands of visitors have been to Áras an Uachtaráin - approximately 85,000 alone since Sabina and I arrived in November 2011.
If I might be allowed a personal wish - I would love to see Dr John McCullen’s dissertation, ‘Landscape, History and Management of the Phoenix Park 1800-1880’, made widely available, with its detail on groundwork, sunken border fences lodges, walled gardens, elimination of high forbidding walls, and so much more. It is such a rich source of inter-disciplinary knowledge.
The Áras, as a place of residence, has played an important role in so many seminal moments of our history. A particularly celebratory image that I enjoyed viewing this evening was the photograph which captured the moment during the State Visit to Ireland in 2011 by Queen Elizabeth II when she planted a tree in the Áras grounds.
It is so apt that she is pictured in front of the Peace Bell which stands as a permanent reminder of the signing of a peace agreement after many years of conflict on our Island. That image powerfully speaks of the achievement of what at times seemed impossible; a warm and close relationship, East and West, North and South, between our two countries. That relationship has gone from strength to strength in recent years and is a friendship that we must continue to deepen in these challenging times.
As in the case of the Phoenix Park, the Royal Parks were originally formed as royal hunting grounds, the walls being erected to not only keep the wildlife in, but the local people out. Today, the parks can be enjoyed by all citizens; no physical or social barrier excluding them from participation in the enjoyment of these beautiful green spaces. It is a great reminder of the importance of continually working to dismantle all barriers of distrust or hostility, ensuring such dismantlement is permanent and not open to reconstruction.
Today, as cities around the world continue to grow and develop, the preservation of our green spaces has become increasingly vital to the well-being of our citizens and the provision of healthy habitats for humans, wildlife, and plants.
For the first time in the history of humanity, more than half the world’s population now lives in cities, while urban populations are expected to increase by 1.5 billion over the next twenty years. The treasuring and preservation of our parks and open spaces, indeed for their extension and new parks to be brought into being, is a critical challenge in a world which today so often prioritises a narrow definition of ‘progress’ ahead of community health, environmental sustainability and the common welfare.
We know that a growing body of research demonstrates a clear correlation between human health and well-being, and the design and structure of our towns and cities. Our policies and practices in relation to urban design might respond to such research, recognising the valuable contribution that freely accessible parks and open spaces can make to our society. Such a response requires vision, imagination and, above all, a real will to place the needs of citizens at the heart of the planning process.
This evening’s exhibition is an affirmation - makes a statement - that public green spaces matter so much in the preservation of regional ecosystems and in the provision of a vital life force in communities and neighbourhoods, inviting and enabling citizens, as they do, to come together in a spirit of friendship and sharing of the Commons.
It is critical, therefore, that we cherish, preserve, and indeed reclaim such spaces, recognising the essential role they play in developing inclusive societies where all citizens from all creeds and all communities can work and play together in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding.
It is greatly uplifting to know that the wonderful public parks showcased in this exhibition are now enjoyed by over 87 million visitors annually. Not so long ago I had the pleasure to witness, at first hand, the diverse crowd, and multiple recreational usages in full swing in the magnificent St. James’s Park in London with Mark Wasilewski, The Royal Parks Manager, who I am delighted to meet again this evening.
All of these parks are significant landscapes of international importance. Their historic continuity, and with their vast scale, urban setting and tranquillity are attributes that define them as unique natural, cultural and in some cases commemorative landscapes that are both historic spaces and city parks.
May I thank and commend the Office of Public Works for this greatly successful initiative, undertaken in partnership with The Royal Parks and The Hearsum Collection.
Is mór an pléisiúir a bhí ann dom a bheith libh anocht chun oidhreacht agus stair ár dá náisiúin a fheiceáil agus a cheiliúradh, oidhreacht agus stair atá ann le trí chéad bliain.
[It has been a pleasure to come here this evening and to witness the unfolding of the hopes, visions, plans and great imaginings of our two nations across three centuries of a shared story and a shared heritage.]
Thank you all very much.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.
