Remarks by President McAleese on the Official Opening of the New CoAction West Cork Centre
Remarks by President McAleese on the Occasion of the Official Opening of the New CoAction West Cork Centre at Skibbereen
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith i bhur measc inniu ag an ócáid speisialta seo agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh don fáilte a raibh fíor agus flaithiúil.
I wish to thank you all for the very warm welcome you have given me today and to especially thank Ann Riordan and Eileen O’Driscoll for the kind invitation to officially open this new Skibbereen based CoAction Centre. It doesn’t take much of an excuse to tempt me back to West Cork but it is a huge bonus to have such a pleasant a task to perform today. This centre is the outward manifestation of the deep-rooted spirit of care that so deeply characterises this community.
At some stage in our lives, each and every one of us is affected by disabling conditions of one kind or another, either directly or through the experience of family or friends or neighbours. When this happens those affected often find themselves faced with many questions, emotions and challenges, not knowing who to turn to for help or guidance or both. But thankfully it seems to be a fundamental, an inherent part of being Irish that we care for those who suffer misfortune or illness or loss and there is a veritable army of big-hearted, kind-hearted, generous people, an army of volunteers who are the very epitome of caring and who so readily offer a hand up - CoAction West Cork is part of that great caring tradition.
There is here and in many places elsewhere in Ireland a vibrant partnership combining the commitment of the various healthcare and research professionals, support workers and volunteers. Instead of each working exclusively inside their own hermetically sealed spheres, in modern Ireland they blend together, harnessing all their resources, to bring about the best possible services and supports for people with disabilities and their families. The work of CoAction West Cork over the past three decades has done much to make the lived lives of many, many people more fulfilled, more full. Your motto ‘A Local Service for Local Needs’ reflects the strong belief in the integrity of each human being and their entitlement to be listened to and responded to in terms that have real meaning and effect in their lives. It also reflects the belief that when we help one person to achieve his or her truest potential we help their families, their communities and our country to become stronger. The very diversity of your services is indicative of the complex needs of our brothers and sisters with intellectual difficulties and their families.
You provide a wonderful range of crucial life-enhancing services, from home support for families to pre-school groups, weekend breaks for children and adults, psychological support services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, to the training and employment centres in Bantry, Castletownbere and Skibbereen. Individually and collectively these services are hugely important in the lives of their users for they are their pathway to the fullest and most confident participation in the life of their community. Your work here brings us one step closer to a truly inclusive society, to that “true social order” promised in our Constitution, to the society in which none are excluded from life’s banquet but all sit around the table. We still have some way to go before that Ireland is a reality but we are closer than any past generation and we have in our hands the opportunity to bring it about as well as the responsibility.
In all those who committed to the work of this centre we have the champions of that emerging Ireland. You deserve our sincerest thanks. We are lucky to have you. You do none of it for thanks or recognition but I am sure that your work and faith will be vindicated time and again by the men and women, boys and girls whose lives light up with hope and happiness as a result of what you have created here.
I thank you again for inviting me and I now have great pleasure in declaring the new CoAction West Cork Centre officially open.
Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh agus gúim rath Dé air sa todhchaì. Go raibh maith agaibh.