Remarks by President McAleese at World Craft Council Conference ‘Craft Conscious’
Dublin Castle, Dublin Thurday, 9 June, 2011
Dia dhíbh go léir inniu. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh ar an ócáid speisialta seo. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte a thug sibh dom. It is my pleasure to offer you all the traditional céad míle fáilte – one hundred thousand welcomes, especially our overseas delegates who may perhaps be visiting our capital city for the first time. I hope that not only will you get to enjoy our Irish hospitality but that you get to see some of the crafts and heritage for which Ireland is famous.
As Patron of the Year of Craft 2011, I am delighted to have this opportunity to officially open the Year of Craft 2011 Public Conference – ‘Craft Conscious: Re-shaping Global Futures in the Innovation Age’. I congratulate the Craft Council of Ireland for hosting this event in association with the World Crafts Council - Europe and thank you for the invitation to be with you today. In the fantastic calendar of events that have been planned by both the Craft Council of Ireland and Craft Northern Ireland in this specially nominated Year of Craft 2011, these last few days have been especially anticipated and I am sure that the General Assembly and today’s conference will prove to be inspiring and fruitful.
Perhaps one of the least flattering things that can be said about someone is that they are good for ‘neither use nor ornament’. Within this gathering of fabulous craftspeople and makers of objects, which are both functional and decorative, there is scarcely anyone to whom this quote could be attributed. At the same time, I am sure you are all very conscious of the investment of time and effort that is required to master your craft. As Chaucer wrote, ‘the life so short, the crafts so long to learn’.
Throughout history, people have been compelled to make. Many of the craft industries represented here today are built on skills and traditions that were lovingly and carefully passed down through the generations. I grew up in a post-war home where clothes were knitted or handmade, where curtains, bedspreads, cushions were home-made not shop bought and where much creative skill and artistic ingenuity was to be found if not appreciated in functional utilitarian things made in the home.
The sweeping changes of modernity saw those traditional crafts and skills diminish but there developed a surging interest in the decorative and applied arts. The craft sector became a place where the traditional and the contemporary cohabited. It benefitted from and often bridged the tensions between advances in technology, easy access to global products and the growing consciousness of ethical and environmental responsibility. The hallmark of the craft industries is and remains quality first and foremost, a quality derived from skill, patience, care, passion and the notion of uniqueness.
In these early days of the twenty-first century we can already see that, even as children of the era of mass consumption and consumerism, we are once again revisiting the role of crafts in our contemporary narrative. The link with heritage is undeniable and it is showcased in one of the themes of your conference which examines culture, identity and nationality. No better place than Ireland to do that for we have a vast treasury of ancient and modern exemplars of a longstanding tradition of exquisite craftsman and craftswomanship. The visitors from all over the world who come to see the Book of Kells, the Tara Brooch or the Ardagh Chalice or the store of magnificently crafted objects in our museum search these things for clues to the character, values and principles of generations long past and whose lives are veiled in mysteries that their crafts help us to penetrate.
As President of Ireland, I have had the pleasure of visiting nearly all of the countries represented here today and I have seen their fabulous crafted treasures, their national patrimony that is also such a proud part of our common human patrimony.
Today Irish crafts are primarily micro-businesses that are typically highly labour intensive but which form an important part of many rural and local economies.
It is estimated that there are approximately 5700 people employed in the sector in Ireland and its contribution to tourism and to exports is hugely significant.
Irish glass, pottery, and textiles have long since carved a reputation for excellence on that fiercely competitive stage and more latterly they have been joined by many new creative craft forms.
There is an old Irish saying ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile.’ Just as in the past the skill of a craft was handed carefully from one generation to the next now we lengthen, widen and deepen the wells of wisdom from which we plan the crafts of tomorrow. This conference brings together representatives of the best of Irish and European craft sectors so that through international dialogue we can explore and develop effective and intelligent ways for the craft sector to engage with rapidly evolving new technologies and generate employment and investment. These are often small-scale niche markets where it would be oh so easy to be isolated. This conference ensures that the crafts community gets a structured opportunity to share knowledge, experience and skills, so that good ideas travel and gather force, so that previously untapped markets become evident, so that the potential of these industries flourishes in this and the coming generations.
Ireland is delighted to host this special gathering of craftspeople and as you leave here today, we hope you return home brimming with new ideas, with e-mail addresses of new friendships that will grow into collaborations and with the energy to ensure a good future for crafts and artisans whether in Ireland or elsewhere in the world. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. Thank you all very much.