REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A COMMUNITY/VOLUNTARY GROUPS RECEPTION IN GORT TUESDAY, 2ND MAY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A COMMUNITY/VOLUNTARY GROUPS RECEPTION IN GORT TUESDAY, 2ND MAY, 2006
Dia dhíbh a chairde, conas atá sibh. Tá an áthas orm bheith i bhur measc ar an ócáid speisialta seo.
Both Martin and myself are delighted to be here with all of you today in this wonderful Community Complex. I would like to say a special thank you to Adrian Feeney, Chairperson of Gort Chamber of Commerce, for the kind invitation to visit.
It gives me great pleasure to be here to honour your achievements as parents, schoolchildren and members of this vibrant community in Gort, and to pay tribute to the marvellous contribution you are making to your community and, through it, to the country as a whole.
Community life has been traditionally strong in Ireland. Our parents and grand-parents may not have had much in terms of material wealth but they did live at a time that was rich in community spirit. Today there is increasing concern that some of that spirit is being lost, that the pressures arising from our wonderful economic transformation are stifling communities, that we are all too busy to have time for one another any more. And there is some evidence to support this concern. Several voluntary organisations have stated publicly that they are finding it more difficult to get volunteers and more people are complaining of being time poor. Indeed the Government has become sufficiently concerned that it has set up a Task Force to look into this question.
Yet this is not the whole story and every week I see a very different picture in many communities, such as this, throughout the country. I know that as individuals and organisations you have, in many different ways, invested in making life better for the whole community. I am very impressed by the range of activities undertaken in the Gort area under the umbrella of GRACE, the Gort Regional Alliance for Community and Environment. Gort is blessed with beautiful surroundings and I’m delighted to see that one of GRACE’s objectives is to promote people caring for the environment through sustainable community development and enterprise. I wish you every success in this worthy endeavour.
When I heard that you had started a bilingual community newsletter, I thought that this was a splendid way of disseminating local knowledge and binding the community together. I didn’t realise that the second language was Portuguese! I then learned that Gort has been enriched by the presence of a substantial number of Brazilians who have brought new life and cultural diversity to the area. I don’t know if you have yet found a name for your newsletter, and I wouldn’t dare suggest one or you might feel obliged to use it, but I’m sure that whatever title you choose, it will be as innovative and dynamic as the community from which it springs. It is marvellous to see such a positive approach to promoting integration of the local and Brazilian communities, through sharing information and learning more about each other.
We are all so lucky to be living in a country that has become self-confident, and is widely respected because its people are seen to be hard-working and talented, but also as fun-loving and kind. Ireland still needs caring and energetic people to give generously of their time and talent, to continue building strong communities and partnerships as you are doing here, so that people can have a sense of belonging and self-worth. Since coming into Office, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many people who strive to create this sense of partnership in their own place and beyond.
Today, I thank and congratulate Gort community and voluntary groups in the sure knowledge that you carry into the future a value system of commitment and care which will keep Ireland a good place to live, work and play.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.