REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR OLDER PEOPLE ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN MONDAY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR OLDER PEOPLE ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN MONDAY, 30TH APRIL 2001
A chairde,
Cuireann sé áthas mór orm agus ar m’ fhear céile, Máirtin, fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Martin and I would like to extend a warm ‘céad míle fáilte’ to each and every one of you this afternoon on your visit to Áras an Uachtaráin. This is our first large reception in quite a while because of Foot and Mouth precautions, and it’s wonderful to see the place come alive again through your presence here today.
One of the positive side effects of getting older is that we get to lose a little of our shyness, we stop worrying about how others see us and concentrate on making the most of the opportunities life throws our way. We look forward to getting to know new people, comparing and contrasting our interests and experiences, discovering who we know in common – and this being Ireland, you can usually be guaranteed that at least one person at the next table is a fourth cousin twice removed. That is what this day is about – giving you the opportunity not just to see the Áras, but to mix and mingle with people from all over Dublin and maybe make a couple of new friends by the end of the afternoon.
In the growing busyness of life, that wonderful gift of having time for each other is an endangered natural resource. One of the great well-earned gifts of retirement is time, time to shape your life your way, free from the tyranny of schedules, of clocking in and out. At last you get to have the time to chat, to listen, to encourage or often times just to be there for your friends, your children or your grandchildren. Sometimes as we get older we may begin to feel a little bit obsolete, a little lost in the world of the young with their play stations, computers and all the dot com jargon – sometimes we aren’t even sure we’re speaking the same language! But the truth is that while on the surface many things may change, fashion comes and goes, certain central truths remain. We, all of us, need to talk, to hope, to dream, to share our worries and our insecurities. In the wider community, we need your wisdom, insight and experience to help shape a future that we can all be proud of.
Today is an opportunity for me to acknowledge and to thank all of you and, indeed, to thank all our senior citizens for their contribution to building the Ireland of today – an Ireland that is prosperous, confident and forward looking. We should never forget that this prosperity would not have been possible had it not been for the sacrifices and commitment of our parents and grandparents, who worked and saved and dreamed of a better life for their children and grandchildren. That dream has now become true for many Irish people. Today, I want to say thank you to all of you who have made that dream possible and who continue to contribute so much to our society.
I would also like to say a special word of thanks, in this the UN International Year of the Volunteer, to the thousands of people up and down the country whose work with voluntary organizations has made the lives of so many older people, so much richer. We have a few of them with us today. Each one of you can take great pride in what you have achieved, quietly, behind the scenes, day in and day out. That work rarely attracts any headlines, but the sense of caring, the generosity of spirit that inspires it, is at the core of who we have been, and still are, as a people. Your work is proof that this voluntary spirit is alive and well in today’s Ireland, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank you for being the hands of our work.
This room in which we are gathered, Seomra de hÍde, was named in honour of our first President, Douglas Hyde. The original building dates from the nineteenth century, and was used as a Racquet Hall, but had fallen into disrepair. Now it has been refurbished and hung with these wonderful Hughie O’Donoghue paintings, to provide a home for gatherings such as this. It is the perfect example of how it is possible to successfully marry old and new, traditional and modern, and create something fresh and relevant for the future. What better way to celebrate these first years of the twenty first century, a time when we are once again beginning to recognise the enormous contribution that older people are willing and able to make to our society.
I look forward to going around to your tables in a few minutes and meeting you all. I would like to thank our MC Paul Kennedy and to our wonderful musicians – our harpist, Orlaigh Kelly, who played so beautifully in the Front Hall and here in this room, we have another Kelly harpist, this time Denise, together with Ellen Cranitch on flute. A big thank you to all of them.
I hope that you will have a most enjoyable afternoon and that you bring home with you some wonderful memories from your visit to the Áras.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.