REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE SPORTING HEROES of IRELAND OF THE 1940S
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE SPORTING HEROES of IRELAND OF THE 1940S, 50S AND 60S TUESDAY
Is cúis mhór dom cead míle fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
It is a positively overwhelming experience for any sports fan to be surrounded by the great legends of Irish sport, household names whose triumphs have thrilled a nation and who have brought such pleasure and pride to generations of people in Ireland. On behalf of everyone who loves sport, I am delighted to welcome you to Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon to celebrate our island’s sporting heritage sport and to have this special opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to the sports men and women who created such a store of proud sporting memories for all of us to share.
This gathering does not need to be told the magic which involvement in sport can work in our lives, from the simple but profoundly important things like the friendships, the loyalty to team, to club, county, country, the commitment, the discipline, the exhilaration of being the best, the humble acceptance of being the loser, the well-being that comes from participating, from feeling alive and included.
Every sport enjoys moments of high drama, heart-stopping pulse racing moments that encapsulate the human spirit and live forever in our memories. I am sure each of you can recall moments of magic and high emotion from your own careers. Equally you can no doubt recall times when, despite your best endeavours you had to accept defeat.
In sport there is never certainty about the outcome, there are no sure-fire winners, that is of course a big part of the thrill for the spectator. It is also part of the lonely journey each sportsman or woman must go, part of the wall they have to face and surmount. You know better than many others how cruelly tight are the margins between smiles and tears, how much courage it takes to square up to those margins, to accept the risks, to commit to the ethic of competing, of being tested rigorously and accepting the outcome whatever it is.
Each of you bears testament to the unique combination of abilities that every sportsperson must possess if they are to reach the dizzy heights of success you have known. And through you we are able to look back over the last few decades and see Ireland “punching above its weight” in sporting arenas and excelling on the world stage. We are very proud of our rich sporting heritage and of all your exploits which have given us such marvellous memories.
The kind of success you created is not simply a matter of chance. You trained hard and made personal sacrifices in order to achieve sporting excellence. Your lives fired the imaginations of others, drawing young boys and girls into the world of sport and I know that many of you have continued to contribute to your chosen sport by passing on your skills and sharing your talents with the younger generation. That generosity with your time and talent is a huge gift to all of us as a society and an important investment in our future.
Today’s reception is our way of saying a million thanks to you for the memories, for the wonderful times of pride and passion we shared with you in your success, for your witness to the next generation and the gift your lives are for all of us. I hope you will enjoy today’s reception in the company of your sporting companions from all over the country.
I would also like to thank everyone involved with today’s reception, Jimmy Magee and Míchéal O Muircheartaigh our excellent MCs who are legends in their own right, David Creevy whose music greeted you in the front hall and the Hyde Room entertainers Deirdr Ní Bhuachalla (harp), Daracha MacPhilbin (flute) and Louise Maloney (violin).
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.