REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A COMMUNITY GROUPS GARDEN PARTY ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN Tuesday, 10 Jul
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A COMMUNITY GROUPS GARDEN PARTY ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN Tuesday, 10 July, 2007
Dia dhíbh go léir, agus céad míle fáilte. Good afternoon, everybody.
Martin and I are delighted to offer each of you the traditional céad míle fáilte - one hundred thousand welcomes - to Áras an Uachtaráin. We are joined today by friends from every part of the island and it is wonderful that you made the journey to be with us to celebrate your work in your communities.
Many of you here today are involved in some way or another with community organisations. You are people who get out and get involved, doing the countless things that make life better and more complete for all of us. Your work breaks down the barriers that exist between people and ensures that we are not strangers to one another. You are reigniting Ireland’s common culture of courtesy, reminding us that we need to look out for each other and give each other the support and friendship that can transform a life from one merely endured to one that is fully enjoyed.
In Ireland, we are blessed with a long tradition of active citizenship - of good neighbourliness, of people volunteering their skills, time, effort and resources to create opportunities and services which would not otherwise exist. Your work helps all of us, both by the good you do and by the example you set. You are the people who see things that need to be done and don’t wait for someone else to do it. This is a spirit worth cherishing.
Throughout Ireland, people who share your sense of commitment to the community are changing our country for the better, one person at a time, one street, one town, at a time. Today we say thank you through you for all of your work and we celebrate the vast amount of good that is done by you and by people like you, every single day, in the name of community.
Thank you also for coming here to share our home this afternoon. I hope you enjoy the chance to see the Áras, eat some lovely food, listen to the beautiful music, catch up with some old friends and perhaps - among this great group of like-minded people - make a new friend or two before the day is out.
On your behalf and on that of Martin and myself, I thank the wonderful entertainers who have helped to make today so special for all of us. Thanks also to our friends in the Civil Defence, the Gardaí, the Tour Guides and all the staff here at the Áras who have all worked so hard to make today a success.
Martin and I hope you have a great afternoon, and return home safely, bringing with you stories to tell of a great afternoon at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.