REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN THURSDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY 2011
Is cúis mhór áthais duinn fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu. Martin and I are delighted to extend a warm and heartfelt 'céad míle fáilte' to each of you to Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon.
We have people here from many parts of Ireland: Mayo, Galway, Donegal, Cork, Meath, Offaly, Antrim and, of course, from down the road in Wicklow. I thank you all for making the journey and I hope you all have a very enjoyable afternoon here in Áras an Uachtaráin. I would also like to welcome Clare O Donnell who will be providing us with some beautiful musical entertainment.
Since becoming President I’ve been lucky enough to welcome many visitors to the Áras, but it is always a special occasion when I get my chance to welcome our senior citizens who have made such an important contribution to building, shaping and nurturing the Ireland of today. There is a saying that those who drink the water should remember with gratitude those that dug the well and in the midst of these tough economic times, this is my chance to say thank you to your generation for the investments you made in building a strong, educated and affluent Ireland.
You are also the generation for whom community spirit and neighbourliness are a way of life. The groups that we welcome here this morning are evidence of your continued commitment to a sense of community; to friendship; and to shared experiences. Nowadays, retirement can be the start of a whole new life as we have that most precious commodity time, to meet new people and indulge in a whole new range of activities, be it aqua aerobics, visits to the theatre, dancing, foreign travel, playing bridge to name but a few or simply having the time to chat and laugh over a cup of coffee. You have worked hard all your lives and are now enjoying some well deserved fun and enjoyment. Of course your steadying hand and influence is something that is much needed in family life, in all walks of life, on our little island right now as many of you have encountered the difficult economic fortunes that we are again experiencing now but know that we will prevail - that this too will pass and that we have in our DNA, the ingenuity, resilience, tenacity and determination to turn things around again. Sometimes and we don’t always realise it, but we do need to hear that comforting message of hope for the future particularly from those people – some of whom are gathered here today - who possess a distilled wisdom and experience from past difficult chapters in our history and know that we will be okay.
But for this afternoon I hope it will provide an opportunity to chat with others from different parts of the country, enjoy yourselves, have a bit of craic, and hopefully to go home having made a new friend or two and with a few stories to tell. Please make yourselves at home. Your visit here today makes you part of the unfolding story of this great house - a place that has seen many changes as the tides of our island's history have ebbed and flowed over the last several centuries.
Thank you again for coming here today. I hope you have a very enjoyable afternoon in Áras an Uachtaráin.