REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A LUNCH HOSTED BY NEWRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A LUNCH HOSTED BY NEWRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TUESDAY, 10TH MAY, 2011
Dia Dhíbh a chairde, is mór an onóir agus pleisúir dom bheith anseo inniú. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I’d particularly like to thank Dr. Conor Patterson for his kind invitation to join your Annual Business Lunch this afternoon. As I look around here today, I recognise many faces. I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to attend this important event today, and for your contribution to the success of Newry over the last number of years.
It is always a great pleasure to be here in Newry and to witness the wonderful transformation that has taken place in what was once a small town and is now a thriving gateway city and a vital regional hub. Of course, everyone knows Newry is one of the best shopping areas in Northern Ireland, but it is also a focal point for a large cross border community. In addition, it is the home of InterTrade Ireland the North/South Trade and Business Development Body.
Today, in 2011, Newry is an energetic place to be, a confident city which has left a troubled past behind and can now look optimistically to the future. The transformation did not, of course, happen by accident or overnight. It has happened because of the hard work, energy, foresight and determination of so many of you who have achieved so much during the last number of years. Your collaboration with dynamic local enterprise, your positive engagement with agencies like InterTrade Ireland and your welcome embrace of the concept of the all-island economy have collectively made an immeasurable contribution to the development of the town into a city. The Newry of today, this confident, forward-looking, flourishing city is a very different place from the troubled, struggling town many of us can remember from not so long ago. As the body representing business people in this city, Newry Chamber of Commerce has played no small part in this remarkable transformation.
Beethoven once said that ‘The barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry, ‘Thus Far and no Further’”. However, as we all know, there was a time when the physical border between both parts of this island was seen as just that - a barrier blocking trade, economic partnership and business collaboration between North and South. The Good Friday Agreement and the peace and political stability it has brought to this island, have given us the chance to move on, to leave behind the mental barricades erected by hate, suspicion and intolerance, enabling an acceleration in cross border co-operation so that the stakeholders on each side of the border no longer regarded each other as rivals for resources but as partners whose pooled assets, talents and ingenuity can promote and deliver economic growth and development throughout the island of Ireland.
Newry, equidistant between Belfast and Dublin, continues to provide that vital pivot between North and South and has played no small part in helping us to join forces and use our collective resources for the benefit of business growth across the island. It has been inspiring to see how the abolition of old barriers – both physical and mindset - and the effective use of partnerships and networks have created an environment where it is easier for everyone to do business, to flourish, to raise their families, to educate their children and to achieve their full potential.
It makes real sense that we all work together to optimise the use of the economic resources that are at our disposal, transforming North/South economic collaboration into a source of mutual competitive advantage. Despite our current economic difficulties, the Irish Government has renewed its commitment to promoting greater levels of economic co-operation between both parts of the island. In order to be converted into economic opportunity and jobs on the ground, these political commitments require the ongoing engagement of local business and community leaders – people who have a coherent vision for the future and a willingness to invest the necessary time and effort to achieve it. That is why a body like Newry Chamber of Commerce is so critical – to act as a catalyst for change, to define articulate a shared agenda, to mobilise local support and to engage with Government agencies.
Since I last visited Newry Chamber of Commerce in 2004, there have been huge and significant changes in the life of this place. The ongoing and encouraging interaction between agencies North and South has brought and continues to bring real benefits in such diverse areas as infrastructure, the development of cross-border trade and in research and development. We know that our future prosperity depends on our ability to increase, and sustain, a high value-added, internationally competitive, export-led economy. Stimulating entrepreneurship remains an important challenge for us all as we work to build truly internationally competitive businesses. This Chamber’s membership includes globally successful indigenous companies – this is very impressive and something for which you should be congratulated.
As part of the development of the All-Island Economy, agencies like the IDA and Invest Northern Ireland have been working closely together, including through linking towns and regions to create centres of critical mass - for example, the Newry/Dundalk twin city region. There can be no doubt that such collaborative initiatives have contributed to the enhanced economic and social benefits that are evident in Newry today.
I would like to thank Newry Chamber of Commerce, and all of the local business and voluntary communities who have contributed so much to progressing Newry into the successful bustling city we have today. Each of you has a huge amount already on your plate, trying to run successful businesses and grappling to overcome the many challenges that the economic environment has hurled at you.
Despite this, you have each given of your efforts and talents to Newry Chamber because you believe passionately in the benefits of a strong and effective forum where your voice can be heard, where you can network and exchange ideas and where together you can promote the economic success of this city and its people. While I have fond memories of Newry as a town, it has been wonderful to see it evolve into this vibrant city – a business hub, a haven for shoppers, the heart of the beautiful Mourne region and a natural gateway between North and South. I wish you every success in the future.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.