REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR TEAM IRELAND
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR TEAM IRELAND TO MARK THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
It is a scant few weeks since we last met at Westmanstown at the end of September to celebrate the arrival of the Torch of Hope, in preparation for your departure for Shanghai. But what a few weeks it has been! During that time, your efforts, your accomplishments and your own, personal stories have brought happiness, inspiration and excitement to all of us across the island of Ireland, as we followed the story of your Chinese odyssey with pride.
Looking about the room now at the two hundred or so people gathered here today, I am struck by your numbers, and yet we today are but a tiny portion of the almost 1,000-strong Irish delegation - of athletes, family, supporters and volunteers - who made up Team Ireland on its Shanghai adventure. The fact that we, in relatively small Ireland, sent the largest delegation to Shanghai, out of all of the participating countries, shows clearly the extraordinary momentum that has built up behind this inspirational movement since it exploded onto our collective consciousness in 2003.
The logistics and operational requirements of such a large group are simply enormous and today I'd like to pay tribute to the exceptional team led by Mary Davis and Chairman Fergus, supported wonderfully by Eircom, in the form both of their generous sponsorship and their presence in Shanghai throughout the Summer Games. The Embassy of China in Ireland, and of Ireland in China, were both intimately involved in preparations and in the smooth operation of the Games. Their staffs’ professionalism, and that of both Ambassadors, shines through the smooth execution of such a mammoth event. Thank you.
Marshalling all these forces throughout the event, Dorothy Timmons served as an excellent Head of Delegation, as diplomatic, as forceful and as potently effective a woman as any team could hope to count on their side! The Special Olympics is a movement which brings out the very best in people in multitudinous ways but I would like to highlight the extraordinary spirit of volunteerism on which Special Olympics Ireland depends. Within the management team of Special Olympics Ireland, all save one of the positions is voluntary. We are fortunate to live in a time where we are more prosperous than ever before, with the happy result that worthy organisations such as Special Olympics Ireland can hope to receive funding commensurate with their value. However time is not something of which we have an increasing supply; quite the contrary. It is deeply moving, therefore, to see that so many people are so prepared to give, so selflessly, of their dedication, their effort, and that most precious commodity of all - their time - in the service of such a deserving cause. I commend you all.
But what makes these Olympics special is of course our athletes - the competitors who train and compete to get their place on the Ireland team, who travel out in such hope, who try to win but are content in the trying and who bring back a stack of memories and medals to make us very proud.
Martin and I are delighted that you have taken the opportunity to visit us today to share in your success. We hope that you will enjoy the entertainment from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann who we are about to hear, and will indulge yourselves in a little well-deserved reminiscing about your amazing summer as you take a look around the house. Thank you for coming, and we look forward to our continued, close involvement with Special Olympics Ireland in years to come.