REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A NORTH SOUTH RECEPTION TO MARK THE 12th of JULY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A NORTH SOUTH RECEPTION TO MARK THE 12th of JULY ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 12TH JULY, 2006
Cuireann sé áthas ar mo chroí fáilte fíorchaoin a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin. Is ócáid speisialta í seo duinn agus tá gliondar orainn í a cheiliúradh libh anseo inniu.
A traditional céad míle fáilte – one hundred thousand welcomes to each one of you, from Martin, from me and from the Áras team which has planned what we hope will be a happy and memorable day. This house is not quite as old as the battle of the Boyne which we commemorate today, it was built sixty years later but just as that battle changed the course of this island’s history so many of the things which happened in this house also changed the course of history and today we are making our own contribution to changing times.
In his poem ‘Ulsterman’, Lynn Doyle talks about a fellow-countryman ‘Michael Dan’
A better neighbour couldn’t be,
He borrows an’ he lends;
An’ – bar a while about the Twelfth
When him an’ me’s not friends –
He’ll never wait until he’s asked
To lend a helpin’ han’.
Lynn Doyle’s poem more than hints that the Twelfth could occasion certain difficulties even among the best of neighbours and friends, but for nine years now, this house has on the Twelfth created an opportunity for a shared commemoration when the descendants of Williamite and Jacobite, winners and losers respectively on that far off day, meet each other in very different times, but times which still labour under the shadows cast by that fateful day. Now we try to lift those shadows so that we can find the friend in one another, be good neighbours to one another, live comfortably with each others' differing views and cultures and enjoy a time of deep-rooted peace. John Hewitt has a great expression which sums up what this day is all about “We build to fill the centuries arrears.” And while there have been a lot of very tragic arrears there has also been a lot of very generous and hopeful filling-in particularly in recent times.
The elegant and moving official ceremony to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the battle of the Somme which was held in Dublin on July 1st signalled a fresh and exciting comprehension of a shared history which had been allowed to become bitterly divisive. Generations have grown up utterly unaware of the extensive contribution and sacrifice made by tens of thousands of young men from what was to become the Republic of Ireland, the vast majority of them Irish nationalists. They stood shoulder to shoulder with fellow soldiers from what was to become Northern Ireland, the vast majority of them Unionists. In the prime of their youth they fought in the same uniform, for the same cause and with the same camaraderie and courage. Victims on the battlefields of France, their memories were victims on the battlefield of Irish and British history. It is a credit to this generation that it insists on telling and commemorating the whole story.
Another sign of the heart for the fullest inclusion is to be seen in the redevelopment of the site of the Battle of the Boyne – a government-backed cultural heritage project of the highest calibre and a showcase of our retrieved shared history for future generations.
We are gathering today against the backdrop of a new push by both the Irish and British governments to restore partnership government to Northern Ireland. The manifestly friendly relations between the two governments are a hugely positive witness to the power of mutually respectful dialogue in dealing with common problems and concerns. I hope that political leaders will find the confidence, the courage and the determination to work together to make Northern Ireland’s name soar at home and abroad for all the right reasons, as its once untapped and wasted power of partnership begins to reveal a formidable fresh talent and genius. And then we will all be able to say of one another on this island – a better neighbour could’nt be…….
But first we all need to buy into this era’s big idea – and big question – what level of excellence could we accomplish if, accepting our many differences, we nonetheless harnessed all our energies and worked well with one another, for one another. Today in a small way we try to answer part of that question and we hope that whether you are Williamite or Jacobite, Protestant, Catholic, Dissenter, Unionist, Nationalist, or none of the above, that on this day and in this house together we will offer each other the gift of fun and friendship, hospitality and maybe even healing.
Our thanks to each of you for being here – please enjoy seeing the house and grounds, enjoy meeting new people and enjoy the food and entertainment so many people have provided with a heart and a half.
On your behalf I thank them all – the massive Áras team preparing everything from flower beds to food, the Irish Historical Arms for their fascinating reconstructions, Brian Mullen and the Rev. Gary Hastings for their great musical humour, the Drogheda Brass Band and Comhaltas Ceoltairaí Éireann for their toetapping music – St John’s Ambulance Brigade, the Civil Defence, the Gardaí, the Defence Forces who have been minding us, the Tour Guides who will be escorting you around the Áras. Between them, each with their own job to do, each with their own unique talents and skills, have created a day of brilliant memories - another great example of the power of difference working together with a shared agenda to make people happy.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.