PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ATTENDS “KILLINARDEN 21” CELEBRATIONS WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY, 1998
PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ATTENDS “KILLINARDEN 21” CELEBRATIONS WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY, 1998
The President, Mary McAleese, today visited Killinarden in West Dublin for the “Killinarden 21” celebrations and met with members of the local community. The President was conducted on a tour of the area, visiting Killinarden Community Centre, the Parish Centre and a number of local schools.
During her visit the President said that she welcomed the opportunity to join the community in their celebrations, and to see at first hand what had been achieved by the people of Killinarden over the last twenty-one years. As a city person herself she had an appreciation of the type of problems that they face - of their environment and of the everyday pressures that life can put on individuals, families and communities. She spoke of the value of the community in dealing with the problems and pressures that people in the area face - people who have had their own share of turmoil.
She commended the people of Killinarden for their great achievements in meeting the challenges – in harnessing the community effort to change their environment into a place of which they could be proud. She said that her visit was also an occasion to give recognition to what they had achieved. She congratulated the community on the initiatives they were involved in to address the problem of early school-leaving and training, and recalled the work of other communities such as Ballyfermot and Clondalkin – and in Tralee in Co. Kerry - in addressing similar problems with a great deal of success.
On the question of wrong-doers in the community, the President recalled her recent visits to other communities – like Darndale and Hardwicke Street in Dublin – communities that had seen their own share of bad publicity arising from the actions of a few wrong-doers – and where people had come together to change their own environment through a new community spirit born out of adversity. She reiterated her view that simply to drive out the wrong-doers to another community didn’t really solve anything – that relocating the problem wasn’t in itself a complete answer – that our common objective should be to change their behaviour, not just their address. The major challenge is to address those who have brought trouble to the area - to get them to change their ways, and to ensure they do not recruit a new generation into their cul-de-sac of despair.
Speaking of hopes for the future, the President stressed the organic nature of communities and said that many new challenges would open up, each of which have to be met. The people of Killinarden had met and overcome serious challenges before – that such challenges and obstacles were the catalysts for bringing the community together. The people had a confidence born of solving problems together. They now know what they’re capable of. This is an achieving community, energised by ‘doers’ – a problem-solving, dynamic community, proud of its achievements and ambitions to keep moving forward. Killinarden could be an inspiration to other communities, who face similar problems.
ENDS