REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE IRISH COUNTRYWOMEN’S ASSOCIATION CENTENARY CELEBRATION
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE IRISH COUNTRYWOMEN’S ASSOCIATION CENTENARY CELEBRATION ST PATRICK’S HALL, DUBLIN CASTLE
Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo i bhur measc inniu. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte chaoin agus cneasta. It is my great pleasure to join you for the Centenary Celebrations of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association this evening and I would particularly like to thank the National President, Anne Maria Dennison, for inviting me to join you on this great occasion. It is quite an achievement in itself for a voluntary organisation to not only survive a tumultuous century but to thrive and grow stronger with each passing decade. The visionary women who founded the ICA in Bree County Wexford one hundred years ago this year could hardly have dared to hope that a century later there would be such a vibrant, thriving, confident multi-faceted ICA, but here it is. That it is, is thanks to each generation of women who took on the baton of sustaining and developing this organisation. No-one dropped it, not even through uprisings, civil wars, world wars, depressions, recessions and mass migration. The ICA has accompanied women through the caprice, cruelty and unpredictability of life in those early days when women did not have the right to vote, when educational and job opportunities were very few and when they had just been permitted rather ungraciously to become students in Trinity College. The founders would be astounded at the changed lives of their 21st century counterparts with their right to full equality of citizenship and opportunity. They would also be vindicated and reassured for those early pioneers founded the ICA to bring women together in a structured way in order to develop and improve the standard of their lives through cooperative effort. Today, seven hundred ICA Guilds across the country offer women social networks, opportunities for involvement in the local community, a conduit to participation in broad national debate, a way to participate in culture, particularly the Irish culture and language, sports and hobbies and above all, great enduring friendships. This powerful network is testimony to your capacity to evolve, adapt and remain ever relevant to the lived lives of women throughout Ireland.
We know that the significant contribution that women make to local and national development has historically been unrecognised and undervalued and has rarely been reflected in decision-making or policymaking structures. Even today after considerable progress and effort, women are nowhere near an acceptable level of representation in those places where plans are laid and policies evolved which impact profoundly on the lives of all citizens. The ICA helps to correct this imbalance, giving women a respected and established platform for their voices and their views. The consistent and powerful advocacy of the ICA leadership throughout the years played a significant role in bringing about the massive improvements in the status of women in Irish society and in the confidence of women in their genius and their right to express it on their own terms.
The ICA is a national organisation but its roots are solidly in local communities where guild membership is a crucial outlet for women especially those at risk of either rural or urban isolation. You are a ready friend and not a fair-weather friend. You have been tested over ten decades now and have never failed that test of care for women and for community. Like so many other community and voluntary organisations the recent weather induced crises showed the innate strength and generosity of the ICA. You are part of our coping skills and our resilience as a society. The quality of life in Irish society, and the mental and physical health of our individuals and communities, depends to a very significant degree on the willingness of people to become involved and active participants in civic life. That means looking out for one another, being generous with time and talents, protecting and supporting the vulnerable, doing what it takes to make Ireland a better place to live for everyone. That is what the ICA has always been witness to, the power for good that comes from getting organised and getting involved in community. You have also known intuitively that strong individuals make for strong communities and you have invested hugely in education and training, creating especially through An Grianan, valuable opportunities for women to acquire new knowledge, skill and wisdom, to know the joy of life-long learning whether it is in keeping alive old traditional crafts or making people proficient in the most up to date computer technology. All these things have enhanced lives, changed lives, filled out lives with new interests, new friendships and great memories. You can count the number of members these past one hundred years but it would be impossible to count the memories for they are legion and they have brought the gift of belonging and chance for contributing, to generation after generation of women.
Who knows what kind of Ireland will greet those who will celebrate your 125th and 150th birthdays. Those days lie far ahead but one thing is necessary in the here and now and that is a willingness to take the baton, hold it boldly and hand it on. The signs are sure here that there is no shortage of willing hands. There is also no shortage of work to be done. They say that a woman’s work is never done and certainly the work of achieving a fully egalitarian Ireland where each child is cherished equally is still in need of advocates and volunteers to make sure it happens and that we do not become distracted by more selfish ambitions. The fresh new life breathed into the role of women in the late twentieth century helped transform Ireland from poverty to prosperity. We are still only in the opening chapters of the full blossoming of their potential and the potential of our country. The women of the ICA will help to write the next chapters – lets hope that the best is yet to come and it begins in this centenary year. Congratulations to all who have contributed to making this day possible. Enjoy this celebration, enjoy this very special centenary year and enjoy taking the baton safely but not cautiously to the next generation. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.