REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND OVERALL PRODUCT DESIGN AWARD
Is cúis mhór áthais dom bheith anseo libh inniu ag an taispeántas iontach seo. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as an chuireadh agus as fáilte chaoin.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to visit Showcase Ireland, especially in this, its Silver Jubilee year. A very special ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’, a warm welcome, to the many overseas visitors who have travelled long distances, drawn by the reputation for originality and high quality of the work of our craftsmen and women. I hope that your visit to Ireland will be both productive and enjoyable. Indeed, I hope that every visitor to this wonderful Showcase will be bowled over, metaphorically, by the products on show here.
These past twenty five years have, of course, seen enormous changes in the size and scope of Showcase Ireland. From a small and predominantly domestic affair back in 1977, this show has blossomed into a hugely successful, international event. The Irish Crafts industry has also blossomed in that time and now takes its place among Ireland’s most captivating economic success stories. Behind that success lies the dedication and vision of the Crafts Council of Ireland and the applied genius of the craftspeople and designers whose work is on show here today.
As anybody in business knows, it is not always enough to be talented and hardworking. To be successful in the long run, you also need business acumen; you need to know your customers, at home and abroad; you have to be ahead of the posse in responding to their needs and to emerging trends. You must have a strong network of distributors; product design that stands out from the rest; the self-confidence to take risks and the conviction that you can compete and win among the best in the global marketplace.
It’s quite a list, daunting even for huge global industries and particularly challenging for craftspeople who tend to work on a smaller scale, without the range of staffing and financial resources available routinely in bigger organisations. Yet the exhibitors at Showcase Ireland have taken on the challenges of the marketplace, transcending the difficulties and giving a strong lead to others . In many ways, this is a microcosm of Ireland’s economic success story, underpinned as it is by the energy that comes from a “can-do” culture. There has, of course, been a considerable focus on the high-tech sector as a driver of Ireland’s growth and prosperity, but the sector which gathers us here today is entitled to its own focus, its own plaudits. Taking tradition to heart, with the values that the word craft stands for, you have added innovation, creativity, freshness, sound business sense and a new imagination for a new millennium, pushing out the boundaries of this industry and taking a new generation of Irish crafts to every corner of the global marketplace. You are building on a formidable heritage and reputation that stretches back across the centuries. Such reputations are hard-won and only sustained by ensuring market confidence and market expectations are always respected. Each new generation of craftspeople has its own responsibility for handing on and developing that baton of respect. Today’s generation has proved to be a world-beater with its stylish, marriage of the ancient and the new.
I would like to commend all of the exhibitors on the imagination, flair and drive which they have demonstrated. Through your work the name of Ireland travels, well and easily across the world. At home we take great pride in your accomplishments and we benefit hugely from the economic benefits and the less measurable but tangible good-will benefits which your work generates. We are all proud of the exceptional quality of Irish craftsmanship, and it is deeply reassuring to see that its international reputation is going from strength to strength. Much credit is due to the very successful partnerships built up over the years with international buyers, many of whom are present once again at this year’s show. Your commitment and faith in Irish products has been a vital element in today’s thriving industry, and we thank you for your sound judgement and faith in us.
I would like to congratulate Showcase Ireland Events Ltd. for their hard work, professionalism and dedication in organising this year’s very successful event. I warmly commend the Crafts Council of Ireland, and especially your Chairperson, Dr Frances Ruane, for the key role that you have played in providing a showcase for Irish products over the past twenty five years – not just through this annual fair but also by supporting excellence through education, training, research and development. I have no doubt that the National Craft Gallery which was launched in Kilkenny last month, will be a tremendous success and an important showcase for the work of new and established Irish designers.
No matter how successful an industry has been or is today, its future success depends to a significant extent on the capacity to generate new ideas, to break new ground. The New Product Awards which the Crafts Council has introduced this year, provide a further source of support and encouragement on this front, and I offer my warm congratulations to each of the Category Winners on your achievement. Well done and the best of luck for the future.
The international jury chaired by Frances Ruane which selected the category winners and overall winner, also deserve our sincere thanks for giving so generously and patiently of their time. I know that it can be a difficult and exhausting task to make those very finely tuned judgements which lead to a final decision, but there is a very real reward in knowing that you have given recognition and encouragement to the genius and the giftedness we are so lucky to produce.
Finally I would like to pay tribute to Inter TradeIreland for sponsoring these Awards. The investment you have made is an investment in our future. It is good to see that this year we have so many exhibitors and buyers from Northern Ireland and we look forward to welcoming many more in the future.
It now gives me great pleasure to announce the overall Best New Product Award for 2001.