ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE NORTH WEST THEATRE PROJECT
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE NORTH WEST THEATRE PROJECT LETTERKENNY, CO. DONEGAL ON SUNDAY, 19 APRIL
I want to thank you all for the very warm welcome you have given me this afternoon, and to say how delighted I am to meet with the members of the north West Theatre Project - to join with you in celebrating a great event in your lives – the commencement of construction of a centre for the performing arts in Letterkenny.
- Over the last two days I have met many groups who are meeting the perceived needs of their communities – groups who are providing facilities for handicapped and disabled people – groups who are providing job opportunities for their young people – groups who are providing leisure outlets for their communities. All these groups are part of what I call the “self-help” movement that is so alive and thriving in Ireland today. And just like the other groups that I have visited over the last two days, your group is relatively young group. For your part too, you recognised a need and decided to do something about it.
- And as is the case in all situations like this, solving the problem involves linking up with others who share the problem and those who can provide the solution – and drawing them together in a partnership - an approach to solving local needs that has achieved great success in many communities in Ireland. It is important that people and communities come together to form self-help partnerships. It is a vital step in the re-vitalisation of communities – in harnessing the energy and talents of people who know their own area and who have a vested interest in addressing their own problems. Communities – both urban and rural – are constantly having to face change and challenge – to overcome new hurdles and obstacles in a changing world.
- The North West Theatre Project is yet another example of what local people can do – of how determination and commitment born out of the clear perception of a need in the community, can have such a great impact in such a short time. In just five years you have come from virtually nothing – with a lot of commitment and dedication - to a stage where you have just last week signed the contract for a new 350-seat theatre to be ready in about a year’s time. By any standards, that is a fantastic achievement - an achievement of which you can be proud. But it is also a great asset for everybody in Letterkenny – in meeting a requirement to cater for the performing arts. It will add a new and rich dimension to life in County Donegal – a new stimulus for those who want to pursue a career or an interest in the performing arts.
- My role here today is really to commend you on this great achievement - in focusing your energies and talents for the good of the community. You are building something which will endure for many generations – something that will make a great contribution to the quality of life in Letterkenny and in County Donegal. I wish you well with your new theatre – a theatre which will be a tribute to your hard work and commitment to the people of Letterkenny.