REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MARY AIKENHEAD DAY CENTRE GARDEN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MARY AIKENHEAD DAY CENTRE GARDEN ON WEDNESDAY, 9 MAY, 2007
Dia Dhíbh a cháirde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu agus muid ag céiliúradh an ócáid mhór seo. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as an chuireadh agus as fáilte a bhí caoin, cneasta agus croíúil.
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you all very much for that warm welcome and thanks, too, to Sr. Marie Smyth for her kind invitation to me to come here today to perform the official opening of this lovely garden, a new space dedicated to the service and enjoyment of Ireland’s older citizens. It is wonderful to meet people who work so hard to provide services and to develop new services for those whose lives were largely lived in times very remote from the Celtic Tiger. It is important that in these prosperous and confident times that our senior citizens feel in a practical way, the love, care, concern and respect that they have earned and that they deserve.
This garden is a place that shows that love and care in a visible way. I am especially delighted to be here and to meet so many of the staff, the volunteers, and the clients here today. And I am delighted by the garden, which is so clearly a labour of love championed by the Derek Mooney Show and the army of selfless volunteers from the Dublin Horticultural College.
When Mother Mary Aikenhead founded the Sisters of Charity almost two hundred years ago, I wonder did she imagine that all these generations later her work would continue in such imaginative ways, in such beautifully crafted surroundings and in times as prosperous as these. The Sisters of Charity deserve enormous thanks for the many ways in which they have always sought to work on behalf of those in danger of being overlooked.
Ireland is a young, fast paced country, full of energy and ambition. People are busy and families are scattered. For those who are advancing in years, often coping with infirmity or bereavement, it can be easy to become stuck in the house, alone. They know better than anyone must how vital this Day Care centre is. Here is a place for fun, friendship, nursing care, social activities, spiritual activities, the kind of things that make us feel fulfilled and in good humour, the kind of things that give us something to look forward to and happy memories to look back on. This is a place where we know we matter to other people, feel we count and see our contribution make a difference to others.
This is a place to be part of a community, an active and caring community that looks out for its members and takes responsibility for their well-being and their happiness.
Here are staff and volunteers who have made this work their vocation. Without them and their work the world would be such a colourless and uninspiring place – with them, and with their work, we have a day like this of real pride and the clients of the centre have many days like this.
The commitment and dedication of all associated with the Mary Aikenhead Day Centre is immeasurable and I include all those involved in the support work and fund raising activities which make it possible to deliver and develop the services here.
Thanks to all of you, this beautiful garden will be a place to watch the seasons, enjoy nature at her best, relax, reflect, feel at home. I am delighted to declare the garden officially open and to wish all who come here the health to enjoy it and the happiness that is the gift of those who created the garden.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.