REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A FAMILY DAY RECEPTION ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 12 JUNE, 2002
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A FAMILY DAY RECEPTION ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 12 JUNE, 2002
Cuireann sé an‑áthas orm agus ar mo fhear céile, Martin, fáilte ó chroi a chur romhaibh go léir go dtí hÁras an Uachtaráin inniu.
I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome each and every one of you to Áras an Uachtaráin. This is a friendly place, a welcoming place and I hope you will leave this afternoon with some special memories of your visit but most of all that you leave having made some new friends.
There are people here from far and near, from all corners of this island. Some of you have travelled long distances to be here. Both Martin and I look forward to having an opportunity to chat with you in a few moments.
Today is a celebration of family and friends. In this fast-moving, fast-changing world – we rollercoast perpetually along with little or no time to reflect on life, what we have, what we hold dear, what are the real priorities, to listen to each other, to appreciate each other. We spend so much time running from place to place trying to catch up - late for the kids’ football training, even later still for swimming, - road works, traffic chaos - rush hour now lasts from 7 to 7, stress levels through the roof and that’s only the weekend – add a forty, or fifty or sixty hour week to the equation and no wonder we find little time for rest and relaxation and recalibrating the system.
I hope that today will in some way give you a little time out to relax and enjoy each other’s company, a brief respite from the complexities and demands that life inevitably brings, and dare I say it maybe even a brief respite from the World Cup with all the grey hairs that it’s given us in the last few weeks, intermingled of course, with some wonderfully unforgettable and treasured memories. And after yesterday’s superb performance by the team there’s even more to come.
In the midst of every family, are our parents keeping everything together, making things right, putting things right. When we are young we don’t fully realise what they give us, what they give up for us, the pressures, the concerns about us in school, out of school, when we are sick or worried, facing exams, or all the other pressures and challenges that present themselves when we are growing up, helping to shape our lives, realise dreams, cope with successes and failures. Whatever the occasion, good or bad, sad or happy they are there, always there to worry with us, smile with us, listen to our every problem, to stand by us, to stand up for us.
In between the ups and downs of family life, even as we chastise you about ever-untidy bedrooms, or the enormity of the telephone bill, or how come time can be found to play football but never for homework - the wonderful sense of fulfillment and pride and magic that children bring to our lives is beyond any and all comparisons. Not that those feelings are always reciprocated! I was talking to one mother recently who complained to me that at home she was ‘wallpaper’ – ‘wallpaper’ no less - in fact worse than wallpaper, as occasionally wallpaper has a pattern that can be interesting whereas from her children’s perspective she very definitely wasn’t interesting on any front! So to all the ‘wallpaper’ out there I say well done for what you have done for your children and to you kids I say notice the wallpaper!
I would like to thank our MC this afternoon, Paul Kennedy; the very talented Garda Choir; face painters Katie Bonar and Doug Shaw; balloonists Simon Toal and Claire McLoughlin; John Gould the Civil Defence Officer on duty for his expert assistance and of course the staff here at Áras who work very hard to make occasions such as this enjoyable for everyone.
Go raibh maith agaibh.