REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE AN ISLAND OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT A RECEPTION TO CELEBRATE AN ISLAND OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
A chathaoirligh, a chairde
Cuireann sé áthas ar mo chroí fáilte fíorchaoin a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin. Is ócáid speisialta í seo domsa agus tá gliondar orm í a cheiliúradh libh anseo anocht.
Chairmen, Ladies and Gentlemen
I have great pleasure in welcoming you this evening to Áras an Uachtaráin and I would like to thank George Jones, our wonderful MC for this evening. I think it is appropriate that this house should be the venue for this celebration of cultural diversity – not alone because it was the residence of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde – but also because in a very real way, it tells the story of this island, of the diverse strands that have become woven together over the years into the complex tapestry that is present-day Ireland. Its art and architecture reflect that rich history, remind us of the many traditions that have taken root on this island, sometimes shared, sometimes diverging, but each an irreplaceable part of what comprises the whole, for even that which differed from us - and maybe especially that which differed from us - was part of the powerful forces which shaped our history and in shaping it, shaped each one of us. It is particularly appropriate that we should gather here on today of all days - on this twelfth day of July - a date which has such a potent significance for so many on this island. It is a day of symbols and memories.
This day presents us with another powerful symbol – the 50th anniversary of the death of Douglas Hyde. He is a man whose life and work, whose very particular contradictions, have a resonance and value for modern day Ireland.
We are most fortunate that Professor Brian Farrell, the Chairman of the Irish Arts Council, has agreed to give us a presentation this evening on Douglas Hyde. I, too, would like to offer a few observations on what Douglas Hyde – the man and his vision - might mean for us today.
There is always a danger, of course, of drawing spurious parallels between past and present. Perhaps it is true that each generation reinvents its history to suit its own contemporary needs and vision, picking out the strands that fit in, re-interpreting to create a neat picture of the past. And yet, Hyde’s life and work seem to strike a chord in the modern context – most especially because he challenges the preconceptions and neat categories that we have built up over the years - as to what being Protestant or Catholic implies in respect of political, cultural and linguistic affiliations. Hyde represented a break from those lazy generalisations - a Protestant, but also a nationalist; a man from an English speaking family who became a central figure in the movement to preserve the Irish language and culture. Yet, he did not seek to impose new and equally confining categorisations on others. In founding the Gaelic League, he brought together people of different religious, social and political traditions – not in an attempt to eradicate their different outlooks – but in a shared celebration of Irish culture. For a brief time, he opened up a window of opportunity where those traditions could embrace in mutual respect. Among his great friends was Rois Ní Ogain - aristocratic, unionist, Irish speaker, collector of Irish folklore, great-aunt of the present Lady Brookeborough. Such remarkable alliances, such encouraging witnesses to the consensus based world we are trying to craft out of the debris and horror of conflict.
It is a timely reminder for all of us in these days of challenge and change – a time when we find ourselves at the cusp of new opportunities and possibilities, of reshaping and redefining who we are on this island. Hyde’s message for us today is that barriers can be broken down – not by threat or stealth – not by attempting to eradicate difference or by accepting others only when they think like us, act like us – but by offering to others the opportunity to share and appreciate aspects of Irish culture, decoupled from the baggage of history and the deadweight of traditional pigeon-holing. Here were intellects, simply, joyfully curious about their neighbours, their place, their stories.
The window of opportunity that Hyde opened was soon to close as the Gaelic League became entwined with the political agenda of the independence movement. It provides a salient reminder of how easily such initiatives can be appropriated by the wider issues of the day, how easily hope can be still-born. Yet it doesn’t obscure Hyde’s achievement in helping to ensure that today’s generation has access to an important part of its heritage which might have been lost forever. Nor does it obviate his success in building bridges of openness and tolerance across the traditions on this island.
That space between identities which Douglas Hyde occupied, has provided some of the most important contributions to the artistic, literary and intellectual landscape of Irish life. I would like to warmly welcome Professor Brian Walker, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Arts Council, who will explore the extraordinary contribution which men and women of the Protestant tradition have made to Irish culture. It is worth reminding ourselves when we in Ireland modestly receive the applause of the world for having produced so many gifted writers, artists and musicians – that many of them came from the Protestant tradition and many, unlike Douglas Hyde, did not embrace Irish nationalism.
Today, we honour them – those men and women – each different from each other – but sharing an independence of mind and intellect – who have contributed so much to this island of cultural diversity. We look forward to a new century in which the tired culture of conflict will give way to a new adventure in consensus - to a time when the rigid orthodoxies which prevented a fulsome celebration of all the genius this island produced, will give way to a generous embrace.
I would like to warmly commend Professor Brian Farrell and Professor Brian Walker for agreeing to share their thoughts with us this evening. I congratulate the organisations which they chair – the Irish Arts Council and the Northern Ireland Arts Council – for their exceptional level of co-operation and commitment in jointly supporting artistic activity, North and South.
I would also like to thank Martin Dowling, Traditional Arts Officer of the Northern Ireland Arts Council, and his wife, Christine – two exceptionally talented musicians who will provide us with an illustration of the musical traditions on this island.
Tá súil agam go mbainfaidh sibh taitneamh agus sult as an cheiliúradh seo tráthnóna. Go maire sibh.