AITHEASC AN UACHTARÁIN, MÁIRE MHIC GIOLLA ÍOSA, AGUS OIFIGÍ CDS TEO, Á OSCAILT GO HOIFIGIÚIL AICI
AITHEASC AN UACHTARÁIN, MÁIRE MHIC GIOLLA ÍOSA, AGUS OIFIGÍ CDS TEO, Á OSCAILT GO HOIFIGIÚIL AICI I GCORR NA MÓNA, CO NA GAILLIM
Tá mé thar a bheith buíoch díbh, a chairde, as fáilte chomh croíúil a chur romham – fiorchaoin fáilte Ghaeltachta. Is mór an chúis áthais dom bheith anseo libh inniu i gCorr na Móna, áit a bhfuil an Ghaeilge chomh saibhir agus chomh hálainn is a bhí riamh. Creidim gur tháinig cúpla duais Oireachtais an bealach seo le déanaí, agus gur as saibhreas na teanga a bronnadh iad. Níl ionadh ar bith orm. Ní an Ghaeilge amháin atá go hálainn anseo, tá an ceantar féin go hálainn, agus cuireann sé gliondar orm bheith ábalta an áit a bhlaiseadh dom féin.
Tá lúcháir orm gur oscailt oifigí an Chomharchumainn a thug anseo mé. Tá áit faoi leith istigh i gcroí mhuintir an Iarthair do na chomharchumainn. Tá sé deacair an taobh seo tíre a shamhlú gan iad. Tá éacht déanta agaibh anseo i gCorr na Móna ón am a bhunaigh sibh CDS Teo sa bhliain 1973 (naoi déag seachtó trí), - (agus ní beag an ról a bhí ag an Aire Stáit Éamonn Ó Cuív san obair a bhí ar siúl ó shin.)???
Bhí cúis eile agam le teacht go dtí an dúiche álainn seo. Tháinig mé fosta chun 25 (fiche is a cúig) bliain de obair an phobail a cheiliúradh. Creidim go láidir nach bhfuil bealach níos fearr chun pobal a neartú agus a fhorbairt ná go mbeadh lámh agus páirt ag an phobal féin san fhorbairt sin. Sin atá déanta agaibhse sa cheantar seo, agus déanaim chomhghairdeachas libh.
I am very pleased to be here in Cornamona with you today for this very important community celebration. I have long been aware of the reputation of Joyce Country as an area of exceptional natural beauty straddling the Galway – Mayo border and where the rich language and cultural heritage of both counties confluence and coalesce. However, I understand that while the spirit of co-operation and community collaboration crosses both county and parochial boundaries the one area of life in Joyce Country where the ‘border’ remains absolutely unchangeable is in the area of Gaelic Football whenever the Mayo or Galway teams take the field. Even here, of course, this long-standing rivalry is friendly and sporting on and off the field!
These new offices which we are officially opening here today are a strong signal to the local and wider community that a new lease of life lies ahead of your Community Co-operative Society, CDS Teo. You are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the co-operative here and I know that throughout that quarter of a century the Co-operative has played a lead and critical role in the social, cultural and economic life of this area. I appreciate that, in recounting the important milestones along that 25 year journey of the Co-operative, those of you most directly involved will point to the job-creating and income-generating projects initiated by CDS Teo – including the Summer College, the Sawmill, land drainage, tree harvesting and sheep sales enterprises. I think, however that perhaps the most important contribution your co-operative has made during the past quarter century is its impact on the people of the area rather than on the landscape where its benefits are visible and tangible. At community level co-operatives are about caring for and developing the community, sharing, making inventories of natural and human resources, upgrading skills, setting out targets, recognising strengths and weaknesses, sourcing information and funding, identifying disadvantage and addressing it and speaking with one voice to the outside world where the benefit of the community is concerned. These are all the buildings bricks from which sustainable community development is constructed and they are all people-based and skill-based. I know that your achievements in Community Development Schemes and Programmes down through the years have been consistently successful and that in itself indicates the strength of community spirit and co-operative effort here in Joyce Country. That pattern of achievement is an indicator of the success of the co-operative in which I would call its educational and human resource development role. The number of people directly involved was not great but the achievements of the community indicates the wide support that they received.
Tá dea-shampla iontach maith tugtha ag CDS Teo do phobail tuaithe eile sa tír seo. Tá súil agam go leanfaidh siad an sampla. Tá seod agaibh. Coinnigí snasta é. Tuigim go bhfuair sibh cuidiú nach beag ó Údarás na Gaeltachta agus ón Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gaeltachta agus Oileán. Is maith go bhfuil an cuidiú sin ar fáil, agus is iontach go mbaineann sibhse úsáid mar is ceart as.
Tréaslaím libh, a mhuintir Chorr an Móna. Tá gaisce déanta agibh. Go maire sibh agus go méadaí Dia bhur stór. Beidh áit bheag agam i gcónaí i gCorr mo Chroíse do Chorr na Móna. Fógraím na hoifigí seo ar oscailt. Go raibh maith agaibh.