EMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE SENIOR CITIZEN ENCOUNTER AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
EMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE SENIOR CITIZEN ENCOUNTER AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN TUESDAY 20TH JUNE 2000
A chairde,
Cuireann sé áthas mór orm agus ar mo fhear cheile, Máirtin, fáilte a chur romhaimh go leir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Martin and I would like to extend a warm cead míle fáilte to each of you this afternoon on your visit to Áras an Uachtaráin. This encounter is the first reception to take place in our newly redesigned and refurbished Hyde Room and it’s my first time to speak here. So today, you and I are creating our own little piece of history! The paintings are from a collection of works by Hughie O Donoghue and I hope they will be viewed and enjoyed by the many people who attend functions in the Áras. I know that many of you have travelled long distances to come here today, so I hope you will relax and enjoy this afternoon and will leave with fond memories of your visit to the Áras.
One of the great privileges of being President is that I get the opportunity to meet so many people of different backgrounds and points of view and ways of looking at the world, and that I am able to provide the opportunity for those people to meet each other. One of the positive side effects of getting older is that we get to lose a little of our reserve, our shyness. We don’t think so much about ourselves and how other people see us. Instead we tend to enjoy the opportunity of getting to know new people. So I know that today you will take the time to mix and mingle with people from all over the country from very different walks of life, and maybe make a couple of new friends by the end of the afternoon.
In the growing busyness of life, that wonderful gift of having time for each other is an endangered natural resource. One of the great well-earned gifts of retirement is time, time to shape your life your way, free from the tyranny of schedules, of clocking in and out. At last you get to have the time to chat, to listen, to encourage or often times just to be there for your friends, your children or your grandchildren. Some times as we get older we may begin to feel a little bit obsolete, a little lost in the world of the young with their play stations, computers and all the www.com – sometimes we aren’t even sure we’re speaking the same language! But the truth is that while on the surface many things may change, fashion comes and goes, certain central truths remain. We, all of us, need to talk, to hope, to dream, to share our worries and our insecurities. The younger generation often times need to be able to tap in to your experiences, to your knowledge to help solve their worries, their difficulties. In the wider community we need your wisdom, insight and energy to help shape a more humane and decent world.
Today is an opportunity for me to acknowledge and to thank all of you and, indeed, to thank all our senior citizens for their contribution to building the Ireland of today – an Ireland that is prosperous, confident and forward looking. We should never forget that this prosperity would not have been possible had it not been for the sacrifices and commitment of our parents and grandparents, who worked and saved and dreamed of a better life for their children and grandchildren. That dream has now become true for many Irish people. Today, I want to say thank you to all of you who have made that dream possible and who continue to contribute so much to our society.
I look forward to going around to your tables in a few minutes and meeting you all. I would like to thank our MC Stephen Holland and the wonderful Chapel choir of Trinity College who are here with their choirmaster Rev. Alan McCormack. Later this month, the choir are heading to New York to perform at a number of venues and I know we all wish them well and hope that it is an enjoyable experience for them.
I hope that you will have a most enjoyable afternoon and that you bring home with you some good memories from your visit to the Áras.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.