Remarks by President McAleese at a Garden Party to Celebrate Community Groups
Áras an Uachtaráin, Friday, 1st July, 2011
Dia dhíbh a chairde,
Martin and I welcome you all to the house today - cead míle fáilte go gach duine atá anseo.
Today’s garden party is about celebrating communities and I am delighted to say that we have representatives here from all over the country, north, south, east and west. We even have a guest from as far away as Luxembourg! But from wherever you hail, we are very happy that you are spending today with us here in Áras and we hope you are happy sharing today with us.
The reason we have days like today is because it gives me a chance to say thank you to so many wonderful individuals who made the choice to become involved in their communities and whose work makes them better, happier, healthier places to live.
The word community comes as do so many words from the Latin - from two latin words - com meaning together or among each other and the word munus meaning a gift, a duty or a responsibility. We can only create community when people take responsibility for one another, when they share their gifts and when they see community service as a duty they are bound by honour, not by law to undertake. For community work is truly honourable work. Much of it is done for no personal reward other than the fulfilment that comes from making community life strong and vibrant.
Community work has so many different faces and expressions but all are concerned in some way with the welfare and wellbeing of the people they live among and care for the place they live in. If I started to list them we would be here until the next President was coming through the front door of the Aras - so I won’t go down the road of those long lists. Instead I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the days your work gave me a surging pride in our people and our country, in its generosity, its goodness, its kindness and ingenuity.
How very diminished we would be as a people and as a country without the work you do. How lifted up we are in good times and especially in bad, by the spirit your hearts and hands bring to community life. Today is a small way of showing gratitude and encouraging you to keep on doing what you are doing for it is of such huge importance to so many people. I hope you feel welcomed and valued here for that is what the staff and I would wish. /…
On your behalf I thank all those who have worked so hard and are working so hard on behalf of the Aras to make this day special for you. And then there are our wonderful entertainers led by our brilliant MC Kathryn Thomas, the terrific musicianship of Bagatelle, the glorious voice of Celine Byrne accompanied so beautifully by Dearbhla Brosnan, the amazing Drogheda Brass Band and the terrific traditional music from our Comhaltas group. I am looking forward to hearing from all of them and I am so grateful for the way they have come here to celebrate and thank each one of you.
I know many of you are here with groups of familiar friends but please take the opportunity to get to know the people around you - you know better than anybody the only way to create a community out of a bunch of strangers is to say hello to a newcomer and then interrogate them like a senior counsel until you discover you are cousins.
So on my own behalf and on your behalf I say a big thank you to them.
Thank you all once again for coming here today.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.