REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR DIRECTORS OF NORTH/SOUTH BODIES
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR DIRECTORS OF NORTH/SOUTH BODIES AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte fíorchaoin a chur romhaibh go léir inniu chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
Both Martin and myself are delighted to welcome you all to Áras an Uachtaráin today. Today is about marking the wonderful contribution that the North/South Institutions are making to the new spirit of partnership which is driving political, economic and social life in a dynamic new direction on this island. No generation on this island has ever known what it is to live in a place where the great resources of human brainpower and endeavour were pulling together in a common direction to bring peace and prosperity. We have never known or experienced our true strength. But with your help we soon will.
You know better than most the milestones that have characterised this island’s journey of transformation over the past two years since the North/South Institutions came into being and the substantial progress that has been made in terms of laying the foundations of a new and shared way forward on this island. The often quiet work, done behind the scenes by politicians, civil servants, business community and state agencies – people from different traditions – has not attracted great publicity, or the recognition it deserves. But for me, there are few things more uplifting than seeing the impact of restoring hope to individuals and to communities, restoring a self-confidence and self-worth that had been eroded by years of conflict. This is the gift of hope, the new mood of determination to push forward, that you by your hard work and determination have kindled, sustained and vindicated.
I would like to pay special tribute to the members of the Boards of Directors of each of the North/South Bodies, drawn from many diverse backgrounds and with a wealth of experience ensuring that we flourish as a people working in partnership - acknowledging our interdependence, our connectedness on this island while also acknowledging and respecting that there are of course differences in attitude, identity, ambition and perspective. These very differences should be the life-blood of discourse and not barriers to communication, for the things we share in common and are capable of working towards together, are many. I was heartened to hear that one Director, in describing how his particular Board operated, remarked that ‘we’ve all forgotten where we come from’.
The spirit that pervades the work of the Bodies is a spirit of co-operation. We are all stakeholders in this process and we need the creative energies of everyone if we are to succeed: our politicians, our business and economic leaders, our public servants, as well as the many strands of civic society which are part of the rich tapestry of modern Ireland, North and South. We have much ground to make up. The years of conflict created a major barrier to the development of what should have been a dynamic and sustained commercial interaction between North and South. “We build to fill the centuries arrears” to quote John Hewitt.
Now, the institutional arrangements under the Good Friday Agreement provide an important initiative which recognises that developing a culture of consensus and partnership is not something that the politicians alone can achieve.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the North/South Bodies give concrete and practical expression to that new partnership, with the objective of achieving synergies around issues of common interest. They demonstrate that by working with each other in common cause, we can achieve together what we could not achieve alone. The Bodies provide the opportunity, through their functional remits, to develop links with the wider community. In this way, they can be seen as community bridge builders as well as institutional bridge builders between North and South.
In the two years since the institutions came into being, very substantial progress has been made in terms of laying the foundations of a new way of working together on this island, covering a wide range of activities from industry and enterprise, to tourism and leisure, marine and fisheries development, culture and language, scientific research and development, and EU programmes. The successful undertaking of such a diversity of activity is further evidence of the wealth of talent available across the two communities, each sector making its own vital contribution to the development of North/South co-operation in its specific area of activity:
InterTrade Ireland, for instance, whose remit will be to add value to the work being done by the existing development agencies North and South. It will focus on improving market access within the island for the private sector;
Waterways Ireland, with responsibility for almost a thousand kilometres of navigable waterways, will develop this invaluable resource for leisure and commercial development on an all-island basis;
The Lough Agency of the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission provides the opportunity to share in the potential of the island’s marine and aquaculture tourism, with obvious benefits to the local communities and economies of the Foyle and Carlingford areas;
The Language Body represents the very essence of cultural diversity and the richness of that diversity through its component agencies.
The Food Safety Promotion Board is now instrumental in supporting critical North/South scientific co-operation and promoting specialised laboratory services on an all-island basis;
The Special EU Programmes Body, which oversees the administration of EU initiatives such as the Peace Programme and Interreg and whose significance and importance for the whole island is evidenced in the growth and change in our economies over the past three decades supported by the European Union;
And of course, the establishment of Tourism Ireland Ltd, with the combined efforts of Bord Fáilte and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which launched its new marketing programme in Dublin and Belfast last week.
Provision for formalised North/South co-operation is not confined to the activities of the institutions alone. The Good Friday Agreement also provides for the adoption of common policies and approaches in areas relating to health, education, agriculture, transport and the environment.
Ultimately, you are better placed than most to understand the environment, support structures and infrastructural capacity which are most likely to stimulate future prosperity within this region. You have demonstrated the gift of foresight – to recognise what can be, and more importantly, to work to make it a reality.
Martin and I wanted to take this opportunity to honour the work that you are doing together, and to express our gratitude for the tremendous contribution you are making to this new Ireland. The human dimension, of people who were strangers befriending each other, working together, respecting each other and achieving together - these are powerful building blocks of a more contented less fearful society.
I would like to pay special tribute to the staff of the Joint Secretariat who have provided support and guidance to the new institutional Bodies. I understand from Dick MacKensie and Tim O’Connor that the spirit of partnership is well represented in the Secretariat and is evident from their own harmonious working relationship!
Building on the foundations of relationships we have nurtured across the traditions is an investment in our future and insurance policy that there will be no more centuries of arrears, no false dawn, but rather the start of a bright and unprecedented era of prosperity and peace for everyone on this island. May you go from strength to strength.
I would like to thank our MC this afternoon, Eugene Downes, Orla Kelly who played the harp so splendidly in the front hall as you arrived and in this room the wonderfully talented String Quartet, Owen McDonagh, Caroline Manning, Ailbhe McDonagh and Niamh Roche. My thanks also to Mary Kennedy, Civil Defence Officer for her expert assistance.
Go n-éirí go geal libh. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.