REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR CRAFTSPEOPLE AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR CRAFTSPEOPLE AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 6 JUNE 2007
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
I am delighted to welcome each and every one of you, from all over Ireland, to Áras an Uachtaráin today. The house is ringing with that special vitality, curiosity and enthusiasm that each of you brings with you.
Here in this room today is a group of people who differ from each other in lots of ways but each of you shares a very valuable thing, and that is a commitment to your craft and a commitment to excellence. I know that each of you has been selected for your unique skill and creative ability. Through your wonderful work you have helped to raise the profile of Ireland’s craft sector in general and fine craft in particular, making it more relevant and accessible to consumers and collectors in Ireland and abroad and making Irish people very proud into the bargain.
By its nature, the creation of craft can be a solitary experience – involving hours spent alone in a studio in contemplation, exploration, inspiration followed by even more time working on research and development, creative design, technical application before a piece is ever produced. The final result is a piece of work that embodies the personality and individual creativity of the maker – it has the stamp of uniqueness and it is the test of your talent. Today we celebrate and salute that talent, tested in the tough marketplace of consumerism but long before that in the even tougher laboratory of your own very challenging expectations. This afternoon is simply a way of saying thank you for the way in which your work humanises our world and brings balance to the relentlessness of mass production and homogenisation. You insist that there is a place, and a place of pride, for that which is utterly distinctive, crafted with care and absorption. You have ensured that Irish crafts enjoy a world wide reputation and hold their own even in this pressurised world of ours where your niche markets have to compete with crafts from economies with much lower cost levels.
The Crafts Council of Ireland is the main champion of the craft industry in Ireland and I want to commend it for its tremendous work in supporting and promoting Irish crafts. I would also like to thank the Crafts Council of Ireland and Craft Northern Ireland for organising your visit to the Áras. I believe that this is the first time they have come together, and we hope that today will be a day of happy memory for you all, and of the seeding of new networks of friendship and endeavour for the future.
Most of all we hope that you will relax and enjoy yourselves. I would like to thank Raphael Mangan who will sing for us shortly, so ably accompanied by pianist Mairead Hurley the musicians, Darren McGee on fiddle, Sabina McCague on harp and Sharon O’Leary on concertina, for entertaining us so beautifully this afternoon. I would also like to thank our friends from Civil Defence and the staff here at the Áras who have worked so hard to make today enjoyable for everyone.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.