REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR CARERS ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 25th JANUARY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR CARERS ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 25th JANUARY, 2006
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Good afternoon everybody.
First let me say the traditional céad míle fáilte – one hundred thousand welcomes to each and every one of you to Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon. Both Martin and myself are delighted that so many of you have been willing to travel long distances to be with us here today. We have people from all over the country – from the Four Provinces of Ireland – all with one big thing in common – each of you is a carer. That word carer – is relatively new to Irish ears. For so long there was no special word to describe your world and so your stories of exhaustion, of being on duty around the clock, of patchy support, of loneliness and even at times of desperation – these went unnoticed and taken for granted. In more recent years we have grown up as a society and we have been educated by your stories and the stories of those you care for. Men, women and children with chronic illnesses, with disabilities, have begun to speak of their hopes and dreams and society has started to listen, and to comprehend, that unless we share the burden and the journey, lives are lived in unnecessary misery, and opportunity as well as talent is wasted. You are the people who have never shirked that burden of care, that responsibility, that changes the shape of your life, imposing restrictions on freedom and choice, on time and energy. You do what you do out of love and out of a determination that the person you care for will have the best quality of life you can create.
Today is an acknowledgment of the wonderful work being done, every single day, by countless carers throughout this country. They cannot all be here but, through you, we salute each of them and encourage them in their work of care. You work not for yourselves, but for the well-being of others, and you can be justifiably proud of the work you do both in the home, in the community, and in educating our country about the things we need to do to develop the very best system of care we can. You have already many achievements to your credit, from carers allowance, to respite provision, from focus on ability rather than disability, from developing independent living options for those with disability to local self-help groups and national associations for all the many different illnesses and disabilities which your work covers.
Every hour off has to be planned well in advance. The freedoms that other people assume are part of everyday life – are not part of yours – which is why this day is all the more precious to us. I hope it will give you a chance to make new friends, enjoy a very historic house and take home happy memories. I hope too that this New Year will be good to you and to those you love and care for.
I would like to thank you once again and to congratulate you on your daily work of care which makes such a huge difference to people's lives.
I hope that during your visit here today you will have the opportunity to share your experiences and to make new friends. I wish you all well for an enjoyable year ahead and, indeed, for many more to come.
I would like to thank the musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland who are providing us with truly wonderful entertainment this afternoon. I would also like to thank our friends from Civil Defence and the staff here at the Áras who have worked hard to make today enjoyable for everyone.
This afternoon is about enjoying the company of others; meeting some new friends and generally relaxing for a few hours in what I hope you will agree are pleasant surroundings. So today is your day and we hope that you will enjoy this afternoon and return home with happy memories of your visit to the Áras.
Thank you all very much for coming.
Nár laga Dia sibh. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.