REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PILOT SCHEME
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PILOT SCHEME TO INTEGRATE AN CUMANN LÚTHCHLEAS GAEL, CUMANN CAMÓGAÍO
Dia dhíbh a cháirde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith i bhur measc inniu ar an ócáid speisialta agus ócáid stairiúil seo. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte a thug sibh dom.
Sean McCague, President, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Pat Rafferty, President, Cumann Camógaíochata na nGael, Walter Thompson, President, Cumann Peil Gael na mBan, Ladies and Gentlemen.
You belong to a curious elite for you alone know how historic and how important this day is. Ask any one of the vast majority of fans of Gaelic games the relationship between camogie, ladies Gaelic football and Cumann Luthchleas Gael and they would probably tell you that they are joined at the hip, Siamese triplets. Only those who enter club or pub quizzes are along with yourselves, fully aware of the separation of powers between these three great organisations and only you fully know the extent to which that very separateness may have militated against the fullest flowering of the games and the extent to which the games would never have developed to the extent they have without that separate and distinctive focus. But Gaelic games have entered an era of sophistication, composure and confidence which is truly remarkable. An unashamedly proud amateur sport, it is driven by the highest professional values and its aspiration is to keep getting better and better. Naturally it now looks to areas where fresh synergies can be released and this obvious alliance is one of those.
There is no easy road to establishing the kind of partnership this pilot scheme envisages. It takes a mix of sheer hard slog, determination and imagination. Each organisation has its champions, its memories, its successes, its way of doing things, its way of looking at and dealing with each other. Now they will have to think differently, act differently, become different, to make space for each other to be more deeply involved in their world. The generosity and humility necessary for that kind of transformation are not easy things to find but you have found them, applied them and transcended the legacy of history by embarking on a new and shared journey.
This is not just about creating a better support structure for women in Gaelic sports. This is about harnessing our nation’s fullest potential, developing its broadest talent base. Our people are and always will be our greatest natural resource. We cannot afford to waste any part of that resource. These past decades have shown us emphatically the huge fresh energy and creativity which is released into our society by widespread social inclusion and in particular the inclusion of women. Our cultural and sporting heritage can only become even better, stronger, more resilient and more relevant to future generations as a result of this essential first step which today marks.
Sometimes history is made in giant strides and sometimes in small steady steps. This initiative manages to have the quality of both. I congratulate everyone involved in bringing it this far and wish those who will take it forward every success. I look forward to the day when a ticket for the All Ireland Camogie final is harder to get than a ticket for the Hurling Final and when the Down women footballers win three in a row.
Is iontach an obair atá ar súil agaibh agus guím gach rath oraibh sa todhchaí. Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.