OFFICIAL OPENING OF DUNFIRTH FARM BY PRESIDENT McALEESE FOR THE IRISH SOCIETY FOR AUTISM
OFFICIAL OPENING OF DUNFIRTH FARM BY PRESIDENT McALEESE FOR THE IRISH SOCIETY FOR AUTISM DUNFIRTH FARM, CO KILDARE
Is cúis mhór áthais dom bheith anseo libh inniu. Tá mé buíoch díbh go léir as fáílte fíorchaoin a chur sibh romham.
It is a great pleasure to join you here today in Dunfirth Farm. While my formal reason for being here is to officially open the place, it seems a bit of a weak excuse seeing that you’ve been up and running in Dunfirth for the past 18 years. So I suppose I’ll just have to admit that the real reason I’m here is that I’ve heard what a wonderful place it is and especially about the bakery you opened last year and which I’ve just had the pleasure of visiting. I know that you produce all your own birthday cakes, which I must say is an excellent way of guaranteeing a cake almost every week. I’m only sorry that it’s not my own birthday today – maybe I should look at the possibility of having an official as well as a real birthday.
Another reason I’m here is that last year, I had the pleasure of meeting a number of people from the Irish Society for Autism in Áras an Uachtaráin, including Nuala Matthews. I was incredibly impressed by everything that the Society is doing, especially here on Dunfirth Farm. Autism is surely one of the most distressing types of disability that can befall any family. There is the frustration of never being able to truly reach an autistic child, the hurt of their apparent indifference to or even rejection of a hug, the exhaustion of dealing with a seemingly inexhaustible teenager, the nerve jangling frustration of obsessional behaviour – and above all the pain of knowing that they will never enjoy so many of the simple pleasures and experiences of life.
It takes a lot of strength, a lot of endurance and love, for parents and families to continue coping, day in, day out, year in, year out. No matter how deep the well of love, there are times when it is only the help and understanding of others which makes it possible to continue. For so many families, the Irish Society for Autism has quite literally been a lifeline over the years. The range of services is constantly improving and expanding - from full-time residential care for people with autism, to respite care for families, to simply providing a listening ear to someone at the end of their tether.
Here, on Dunfirth Farm and in the many other Houses and Farms you are now operating around the country, you have succeeded in providing an atmosphere of love, of caring, of community for the thirty six people who live here. Dunfirth is proof of the inherent potential that exists in every human being, no matter what their disability, to learn and develop, to experience a sense of achievement. That potential is fragile and can so easily be crushed by lack of understanding and lack of opportunity. But in the right hands, in the hands of the people here in Dunfirth, what can be achieved is quite extraordinary. I would like to pay tribute to all those involved in providing these services, for your patience, commitment and dedication. I know it is of enormous comfort to the families to know that their loved ones are so happy and well cared for in this wonderful environment.
I would also like to warmly commend everyone associated with the Irish Society for Autism for their extraordinary work to date. On you has fallen the burden of care, of fund-raising, lobbying, developing public awareness, supporting a research culture in education and in healthcare to bring hope for the future. You are the most remarkable people. Quietly you go about the business of living heroic lives, no spotlight, no clamour, no spin, no fuss. Out of the silence of autism you bring voices and messages about love, commitment, about care, about community. Ireland is so lucky to have you and so proud to have you.
I wish with all my heart that in the years ahead with their promise of increased affluence and their potential for deeper and broader scientific understanding of autism, its nature, its causes, its management medically, you will find a new landscape of hope to work for and look forward to.
Go maire sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.