REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION IN ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION IN ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR SENIOR CITIZENS WEDNESDAY, 24 JANUARY, 2007
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 mile fáilte’ to each of you to Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon. Welcome to each of you from senior citizens all over the country. We have groups here from counties Cavan and Cork, Louth and Offaly, Tipperary and Roscommon Limerick, Down - and of course a whole host of people who’ve struggled all the way from Dublin!
Today is a chance for me to acknowledge and to thank all of you and, indeed, to thank all our senior citizens for your important, but sometimes overlooked, contribution to building, shaping and nurturing the Ireland of today – an Ireland that is prosperous and confident and outward looking. Today’s prosperity was created by the sacrifices and commitment of our parents and grandparents. Most of them were not well off, but they worked and scrimped, they mended and made do, they went without themselves so that we could have a better life. Today, we honour that commitment, self-sacrifice and selflessness of the generations who ploughed and sowed by hand the fields that we now reap by machine.
There is a proverb from the Orient that says, “if you plan for a year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for one hundred years, educate your children”. Today, in Ireland, we have a wonderfully talented and well educated young population because you put a high value on education, an education so many of you did not get the chance to avail of yourselves, an education you would have loved but an education you do not begrudge to today’s young people.
For some, growing older seems a seamless process, enriched with good health, an optimistic outlook, a loyal social and family circle and financial security. Not all that long ago, retirement meant hanging up your hat and calling it a day. No longer! Today older people are living longer and healthier old ages, and the onset of infirmity is being postponed. No longer is retirement the automatic herald of ill health and retreat into our own little world. Today retirement is a new beginning, an opportunity to pursue dreams that were put on hold during working years, to begin new pursuits, to take up new challenges. Today, more and more retired people are leading active and stimulating lives and pursuing a wider range of interests than what they previously had thought possible. Over the years I have met many groups of senior citizens both at Áras an Uachtaráin and elsewhere and I have been greatly impressed by their activities, accomplishments, range of interests and their zest for life in their senior years. It is as if, having been released from many of the responsibilities that you bore previously, you are determined to enjoy life to its fullest and your enthusiasm is infectious.
Some times, though, as we get older we may begin to feel a little bit obsolete, a little lost, frail and vulnerable in the world of the young with their play stations MP3’s and 4’s, iPods and computers – 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. All of us need to hope, to dream, to share our worries and our insecurities. In the growing busyness of daily life, that gift of having time for each other is an endangered natural resource, time to engage the wisdom of the older person with the curiosity and energy of the young.
In his beautiful novel about the Korean War – entitled “I am the Clay”, the author Chaim Potok tells the touching story of an elderly couple, fleeing on foot across icy mountains. They meet a badly injured child and, at great sacrifice, nurse him to health. Later the wheel falls off the cart. All three are in danger of dying because they cannot go on to safety without it. The old man knows how to fix it but hasn’t the energy to scavenge for the materials he needs. The young boy has no idea how to fix it but has the strength to gather the materials. Together, old man and young boy fix the cart – they make it to safety together. On their own, none would have survived but with the wisdom of the old and the strength of the young, a formidable partnership changed all their lives, created new chances, fresh opportunities.
Their story is not so far from ours today. The truth is that in the wider community we need your wisdom, insight and energy to help shape a more humane and decent world. During my Presidency I have seen at first hand the work of the many communities that I have visited around the country - community groups and voluntary organisations who are using the experiences and talents of older people and harnessing that great reservoir of energy and skills for the benefits of others. And this new confidence in life and living has re-energised a spirit of determination to live life to the full, regardless of age.
In a few moments, you’re all welcome to have some refreshments. If the weather holds – and we’re keeping our fingers crossed - you might like to take a stroll outside and across to the House. I know that for me, the house is a symbol of the history of this island – and its relationships with our neighbour, Britain. 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. It tells its own fascinating story, preserved to this day in its art and architecture. To me it is not just a home; it is a place for all traditions and cultures on this island to share.
I would like to thank our entertainers, the wonderful Dean Power and Roy Holmes, our friends from Civil Defence for their expert assistance and the staff here at the Áras who all work hard to make days like this enjoyable for everyone.
I know that many of you have come long distances to be with us here today, so I hope you will relax and enjoy this afternoon and I hope, too, that by the time you leave the Áras this afternoon, you will have made a new friend or two, told a story or two, and that you will leave with some warm memories of your visit to the Áras.
Have a wonderful time.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.