REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN ON WEDNESDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER
Dia daoibh a chairde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith libh inniu ar an lá speisialta seo.
I am delighted to welcome you to Áras an Uachtaráin on this - International Literacy Day. I know many of you have travelled long distances to come here and I hope that you will enjoy the afternoon and leave with fond memories having made new and lasting friendships. In a little while I will have the opportunity to meet as many of you as possible but first I would like to say a few words about literacy and in particular adult literacy. We also have to look forward to hearing from Tom Flynn as he tells his story and Myra Canning as she recites her poem ‘What If’.
I felt honoured when the National Adult Literacy Agency invited me to become Patron to that organisation – an invitation I accepted with delight. I have a strong personal interest in literacy and the importance for everyone of acquiring literacy skills. One of my greatest pleasures as President has been meeting with people who have encountered a challenge in life and who have faced up to and overcome that challenge and seeing how they have grown from that experience. Among the most impressive people I have met these past two years have been those who faced up to their literacy problems and started that amazing adventure into the self which takes courage, endurance and patience. I think of the woman who raised her children unable to read them a bedtime story or help with their homework, always pretending, covering up her problem until a son far away from home asked in a letter – why don’t you write to me – do you not care? Now this talented, amazing woman is a university graduate. I think of a man who told of his joy at writing the name of his wife and children on a blank page.
Many of you in this room have encountered that very challenge and you know better than anyone else the deep sense of fulfilment which follows as you meet and overcome that challenge.
You earned self-respect and the respect of others the hard way. You know how hard it was to admit to literacy problems and to seek help. How many have known the joy of a hidden talent, a new skill with the help of a great teacher. We thank the teachers who have given so many a fresh new chance to blossom.
The work of organisations such as the National Adult Literacy Agency and the Adult Basic Education Support Service is vital in overcoming the difficulties faced by people who lack literacy skills. Your work has brought, both real hope and real opportunities to many who for one reason or another did not acquire those skills earlier in life or who have found that their skills have lessened. Having those skills means having new ways to communicate with friends and family, prospective employers and with the ever-changing modern world. It also means having opportunities to reach for new goals, releasing hidden talents, abilities and skills, building confidence which benefits all society and not just the individual.
I find it hard to imagine what it would be like not to be able to enjoy a good book, read a newspaper, help my three children with their homework or read a label in a supermarket but there are many many thousands of people on our island who have real, cruel difficulty with these everyday tasks. Thankfully there are also many organisations such as your own and individuals helping people who lack literacy skills, offering excellent guidance, support and encouragement, empowering a section of the community with a real contribution to make.
I congratulate you and commend you for all that you have achieved up to now and I wish you well in your future endeavours. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon. We have some entertainment which I hope you will enjoy and I look forward to meeting you.
Mo bhuíochas libh. Guím rath Dé oraibh sna blianta atá le teacht.