REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR MEMBERS OF THE EMERGENCY SERVICES
30 MARCH, 2007, ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
Dia dhíbh go léir, agus céad míle fáilte romhaibh.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Both Martin and I welcome each one of you to Áras an Uachtaráin with the traditional Irish céad míle fáilte, one hundred thousand welcomes.
Today is an important opportunity to say ‘Thank you’ to you and through you to all those who work in emergency services. They run to thousands in number. They do very demanding and invaluable work. It is also draining work for you face into the dark and often dangerous side of life that many of us would rather not have to confront. If natural and man-made disasters and dramas sometimes test our faith in nature and humanity, you are the people who restore it. You bring comfort and courage. You put others first. Some of you put your lives on the line. And so we watch with admiration as the rescue and emergency services go quietly, efficiently about their work, day in and day out, dealing effectively with a huge plethora of situations, some of them inevitable, some of them avoidable, some of them unbearably sad, some of them unbelievably stupid. Your professionalism and commitment allow you to face them all with equanimity and skill.
Today we hope you will be able to relax in these pleasant surroundings, in the company of colleagues from North and South and from different emergency and rescue services. Even if you are strangers to one another you are part of the networks of care which are available to the people who share this island and which over many generations have worked well together to ensure the best care for all.
I hope you will take time to meet and greet one another and also to enjoy the house. The Áras team has been working round the clock to have the house looking its best and to make sure you enjoy a happy, homely atmosphere.
I thank you for sharing this ‘thank you’ day with us and as you leave with the gratitude of the people of Ireland ringing in your ears, I hope you will also bring home happy memories of a special day.
I must say a special thanks to David Martin who is about to sing for us and is accompanied today by Evelyn Grant on the piano, to Orlaigh Kelly our harpist and to the musicians from Comhaltas Ceoiltóirí Éireann. My thanks also to the Áras team and to our own emergency services here in the Áras – the Defence Forces, the Gardaí and Civil Defence - which I am delighted to say are also our guests today. They are hoping for a day of little drama and a lot of fun.
Martin and I hope you have a great afternoon, and return home safely, bringing with you many fond memories of your visit to Áras an Uachtaráin.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.