REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR ENTERTAINERS WEDNESDAY, 22 MAY, 2002
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR ENTERTAINERS WEDNESDAY, 22 MAY, 2002
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
Martin and I are delighted to welcome each and every one of you to Áras an Uachtaráin today and to have this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for your contribution to Ireland’s internationally respected reputation throughout the world of entertainment. We are honoured and delighted to be surrounded by some of the great names in entertainment, household names whose achievements have brought so much pleasure and pride to Irish people.
Today is about acknowledging and celebrating and saying thank you for that role in laying the foundations for a modern Irish entertainment industry which enjoys national and international recognition. It is also about saying thank you for the entertainment, the fun and the memories that have been gifted to us by the performers themselves, the men and women who organise venues, the managers, promoters, the back room teams. Through them we have a wonderful album of memories and a catalogue of great names - so many that I won’t specifically mention people for fear I might leave some out.
People in this room don’t need to be told or reminded of the wonderfully powerful magic which involvement in entertaining people can work, does work in our lives. From the simple but profoundly important things like the friendships, the commitment, the discipline, the exhilaration of being the best, of bringing enjoyment to other people, of lifting hearts out of difficult moments, of giving all of us the means to laugh at ourselves and celebrate the brighter events in our daily lives.
As you know, Ireland has enjoyed great economic prosperity over the last decade - with a new level of confidence in business – and a new generation of people who believe in themselves and what they can achieve. Coupled with that economic regeneration there has been a tremendous cultural flowering in all branches of the arts – with Irish performers and artists achieving much international acclaim and recognition. The secret of that international success seems to emanate from our ability to infuse our arts with a flavour of Irish culture – a culture that has roots reaching as far back as the Celts and which has been influenced by our proximity to Britain and Europe and the United States, a culture too, through which emigration has placed us inside and exposed us to a whole kaleidoscope of distinctive cultural experiences.
We are very fortunate in this country to have such a rich tradition of entertainment - a tradition which, I am delighted to say, has gone from strength to strength over the years and is in better shape than ever. On behalf of all of those audiences who have been entertained, amused and provoked down through the years, I would like to say a warm thank you to all of you here today. Your giftedness has enriched the lives of thousands of individuals who have never sought the bright lights of Broadway - but who know the truth of that lovely old Irish saying: ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’ - our strength is in working together. Whether on the stage or behind the scenes, you have experienced the enormous satisfaction and joy that comes from being part of a team which pulls together and creates something very special and unique.
I know that many of you here today make another valuable contribution to your chosen career by passing on your skills and sharing your talents and enthusiasm and knowledge with the younger generation. This is clearly evident in the number of very talented groups and individual young performers now entering the national and international entertainment arena. That generosity in sharing your time and talent is a wonderful gift to our youth, helping them to grow and develop and mature, to realise hopes and dreams and to inspire self-belief. As the old and very true Irish saying goes ‘mol an oige agus tiocfaidh siad.’
To all of you we say a warm thank you and hope this day of celebration says that we owe you a debt for the enjoyment and lightheartedness you bring to people and this reception is by way of saying that we greatly appreciate your talents.
I hope that you will enjoy this afternoon. We have some wonderful musicians here today to entertain us Mary Kelly, Harpist and the Kylemore College String Ensemble.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.