REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON A VISIT TO WILSON’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL TUESDAY 17TH OCTOBER 2000
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON A VISIT TO WILSON’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL TUESDAY 17TH OCTOBER 2000
Tá lucháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu, agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh don fáilte a raibh fíor, fairsing agus flaithiúil.
It is a great pleasure to visit this tranquil and idyllic part of Westmeath on this autumnal day and to meet the staff and pupils of the renowned Wilson’s Hospital school. My thanks to your Warden, Mr. Adrian Oughton for the kind invitation, for his words of welcome and to all of you for the fáilte extended to this visitor.
Your warden has eloquently described your school thus: ‘At night it shines like the Biblical city set on a hill, a beacon in the dark – symbolic of its educational role of enlightenment’. You are the inheritors of a school which takes great pride in its distinguished record of enlightening, through education, generations of young men and women. This school has kept pace with the dramatic and fundamental changes in education that has occurred over the past two hundred years and has consistently kept faith with a simple yet eternally relevant philosophy, that of respecting the individuality of each and every student who attends this school and of helping each of them to discover their talents and to use them wisely.
Great thanks is due to the warden and staff of Wilson’s Hospital school for the emphasis they place on providing an education that does not simply feed the academic and intellectual potential of students but their spiritual and emotional needs as well. The remarkable achievement of this school is in the way you have given the gift of self-belief to so many young people. Your successes speak for themselves, not just in relation to academic excellence – and I know you have achieved exceptional results in that area - but also in the opportunities which you provide to every pupil, to discover the particular field in which he or she can excel – be it in sport, music, drama or in the classroom.
The achievements of students past and present have brought great pride to your school and have urged each new generation of pupils to strive to emulate or indeed surpass their achievements. I would like to especially congratulate all who are involved with Gaisce, a cause dear to my own heart. Every year many of the pupils at Wilson’s qualify for bronze and Silver awards. Several have been awarded gold as well. Your involvement with Gaisce and other school activities helps you to grow in confidence and self belief as you learn more about yourself and your ability to make a positive difference to your own life and the lives of those around you.
The capacity of a good education can never be overestimated. It has the power to unlock the inherent potential of every young person here today. Each generation faces its own challenges and each needs to draw deeply from the full pool of talent God has given it. If you use these days well you open up your own talents, maximize the opportunities available to you and put them first of all at your own service - to give you the life you want on the terms you want. Then we hope you will take those gifts and put them at the service of your families, friends, community, country. We believe you are capable of making a real difference to how the future is shaped and we have great hopes that you will make that difference.
I have just experienced the unique atmosphere of the school’s chapel. While the chapel represents the history and tradition of this school, it is also an integral part of school life and continues to be a place for peaceful reflection and of prayer. Sometimes we need to escape from the hurley burley of our daily life and the chapel is the place where the world disappears and we forget the pressure of homework, of exams, of our very busy social lives and take a time-out to gather our thoughts and enter the fray refreshed. I congratulate all associated with the restoration of this beautiful chapel.
This school does not rest on past achievements and successes but continually strives to develop a curriculum which meets the needs of students in the Twenty-First century, and by continuing to develop and enhance the facilities available to both students and teachers. I wish you well with your development of a sports hall and gymnasium which I have no doubt will be enjoyed by all the budding sports men and women of the school.
I have had a wonderful visit to Wilson’s Hospital school this afternoon and I wish all the pupils and staff every happiness as you work together and share experiences together in the wonderful school.