ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO COMMEMORATE CATHERINE MAHON
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO COMMEMORATE CATHERINE MAHON
I am delighted to be with you this evening at the headquarters of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, to mark the achievements of one of great pioneers in the Irish labour movement. I would like to thank Senator Joe O’Toole, the General Secretary of the INTO for giving me the privilege of coming here to give recognition to a remarkable woman – a remarkable teacher and President of the INTO.
In February, I spoke at a Seminar in Glencree which focused on the role of women in Irish history, particularly over the last two centuries. I made the point that twenty years ago, Margaret McCurtin, the woman who had “discovered” Irish women in history wrote “Many Irish women find it difficult to learn about their historical identity, or their role in the life of the country because they have neither the information readily available, not the skills of evaluation at their disposal”.
Happily, thanks to people like Margaret MacCurtain and the women she has inspired, the legacy of Irish women in history is being increasingly researched and recognised. Indeed, the book by Síle Chuinneagáin about Catherine Mahon is an excellent contribution to the growing catalogue of works on Irish women – documenting the plight and position of women and giving recognition to the very real contribution that they have made in the formation of the modern Irish State. The book – which we are launching today - came out of the decision of the INTO Congress of 1996 to honour the memory of Catherine - a decision which also led to the commissioning of the fine portrait of Catherine by Tom Ryan, a former President of the RHA, which I am unveiling - and the ‘dedication’ of the Georgian interconnecting rooms here - the ‘Catherine Mahon Room’ – housing Tom Ryan’s portrait and featuring wall panels about Catherine and her life.
The early part of the century was a time when trade unions were beginning to make strides for the protection of their members and for the improvement of living and working conditions of workers. Catherine Mahon was President of the INTO at a time when the lot of women was far different than it is today – when women in Ireland and other countries were struggling - in the suffrage movement - to get up to the ‘starting line’. Her contribution to the INTO and to the Irish labour movement was significant because she was a women in a time when it was far more normal for women to be ‘seen but not heard’ – and it was doubly significant in that she was the only President of the INTO to serve two consecutive terms. We can’t underestimate the work that Catherine Mahon did at that time. When you think of the status of women – you begin to imagine what it must have been like – the loneliness of a woman speaking in a wilderness – with ear not attuned to her message – you can an idea of her courage and tenacity. She is a vindication of the lasting value of selflessness and endurance.
I would like to commend the Irish National Teachers Organisation on their initiative in recognising the great achievements of one of their own in this way. While she was a ‘hero’ of the INTO, she was an inspiration to all in the Irish labour movement - and a role model for so many women who have benefited from the pioneering work of women in earlier generations – women who had the courage to brake down barriers to equality and recognition – women who paved the way for so many in later years so that they could get the opportunity to play their full part in society.
Catherine was firstly a teacher and, as such, was part of a great tradition of teaching in Ireland – part of a profession which has had such a profound impact of the fortunes of this country – in arming generations of young people with the means to make lives and livelihoods for themselves – in making this country a place with a dynamic and self-confident young population – eager to work and to achieve – and to be masters of their own destinies.
I would like to take this opportunity to give recognition to the many teachers in our school system for their tremendous dedication and commitment to the care and education of this country’s new generations. It is an onerous task – a job that carries a difficult burden – it is a sacred trust. What is learnt in childhood is engraved on stone. You are the engravers – you are the ones who put children on the pathways of life. Many a life has been changed by an inspirational teacher – not always ‘Oscar winners’ themselves – but intuitive people who can quietly recognise a child with problems – who can help in a quiet and discreet way – who can make the ‘gentle adjustments’ to redeem a child in need – to give that vital element of caring that can make all the difference to a troubled child.
I would like also to commend the INTO on their role and contribution to the development of the Irish education system in a period that has seen profound changes in society in Ireland – a period that has seen us change from a remote island on the western periphery of Europe, to a full participant in today’s world. Catherine Mahon left a great legacy when she departed – and you have built on that legacy to the great benefit of education in Ireland.
Beirim comhgháirdeachas díbh uilig as ucht an obair atá déanta agaibh in oideachais ar son muintir na h-Éireann agus guidhim rath Dé ar an obair sin inniu agus ar feadh an laethanta agus na blianta atá le teacht. Go raibh maith agaibh go leir.