Remarks by President McAleese at the Launch of the Vision Document for the Regeneration Of Southill
Remarks by President McAleese at the Launch of the Vision Document for the Regeneration Of Southill/Ballinacurra Weston
Dia dhíbh a chairde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith i bhur measc anseo ar an ócáid speisialta seo. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte a thug sibh dom.
I thank each and every one of you for the wonderfully warm welcome you have given me here in Limerick today.
Following my earlier visit to Moyross this morning, I’m here to support the brave communities of Southill and Ballinacurra Weston, not out of any sense of obligation to show equal regard for the Northside and the Southside of the City, mind you! I’m here because I want with a heart and a half to acknowledge and support the spirit and determination of the people of Southill and Ballinacurra Weston and to express my solidarity with you as you take this vital step towards regeneration, towards a truly better future.
Following years of fear and disadvantage, this is now a time of hope for everyone who lives here in Southill and Ballinacurra Weston. It’s a time when the community turns its back on the troubles of the past, takes all its bitter lessons, reenergises its vision for the future and takes a radical step away from the past, and into a very different future. The vision contained in the report launched today is yours, your voice, your description of the world you want to get to. It is a document that will transform your lives as the words become action.
At the risk of causing John Fitzgerald to blush, I want to repeat what I said this morning, that it was John’s courageous no-punches-pulled report which set the scene for today’s initiative and Southill and Ballinacurra Weston’s new tomorrow. The Government’s quick acceptance of John’s recommendations was a clear and encouraging sign that this issue has national priority and indeed matters deeply to the whole country.
It is only nine months since the Government’s decision, and yet the progress achieved to date has been most encouraging, driven on by the joint Chairperson and joint Chief Executive of the Limerick Regeneration Agencies and committed Board members.
But the work of the Agencies has been truly driven by the people of this area. Despite a grim past that could have made them suspicious and cynical, you got right behind the Southside Agency and made of today’s report, your report, your plan for your future.
The planned regeneration project strongly echoes the theme of my Presidency - building bridges through strengthening the community internally and strengthening its links to local and national services and agencies. The days of feeling excluded and forgotten are over. Today we launch a new start for this community and for all of us as citizens of a shared republic which will never be complete until the full dignity of every human being is a lived reality.
You have been through so much in the past years that your expectations of any real change may be low and who could fault you for that, but I am here today to reassure you that the process of change we are launching today is not like any other you may have experienced in the past. We are talking about nothing less than the entire transformation of the Regeneration Areas into the very best, most vibrant and truly sustainable suburbs in the country. We are talking about making certain that the next generation growing up here will grow up in the best Southill, the best Ballinacurra Weston.
We should be under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead - for the State, for the Agencies but primarily for the community. They will be about keeping faith with the process of radical change that this report authorises. The process of consultation to which you have already given so much and so generously does not end today but now, instead of producing words and plans, it will produce action and visible change. Out of that change will come achievements you can and will be proud of, a place to be proud of and to live in with peace of heart and mind.
I’d like to join the community in thanking all the staff of the Limerick Northside and Southside Regeneration Agencies for their work, not only in making the arrangements for my visit today, but for their efforts on behalf of the people of Limerick. I also wish to compliment the various State bodies, particularly Limerick City Council, for their high level of support for the Limerick Regeneration Agencies.
Now the heavy lifting begins and with it will come the regeneration of the physical landscape of Southill and Ballinacurra Weston and equally importantly, the regeneration of hope, confidence, pride and opportunity for the people who live here. The past was chaotic. The future is planned and, as I pledged in Moyross, I will stay engaged and I look forward with great hope and relief to seeing the ambitions of local hearts and minds turned into a reassuring and uplifting reality.