REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE CIVIC RECEPTION HOSTED BY THE LORD MAYOR OF CORK
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE CIVIC RECEPTION HOSTED BY THE LORD MAYOR OF CORK FRIDAY, 28TH APRIL 2000
A Mhéara na Cathrach, a Theachtaí Dála, a Chomhairle na Cathrach agus a Chairde:
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh as an onóir seo agus as fáilte fíorchaoin a chur sibh romham. Tá gliondar orm bheith anseo libh i gCorcaigh.
Lord Mayor, Deputies, Members of the City Council, Distinguished Guests.
It is a great pleasure to join you here today in Cork and I very much appreciate the honour of this civic reception. This is, of course, far from being my first visit as President to Cork. But each time I return, there is something new to see, something new to be proud of. Even over the past two and a half years, there has been a very noticeable upswing in optimism and energy in this city, as in so many other parts of the country.
That is worth celebrating all the more here in Cork, a place that has seen more than its fair share of difficulties over the years. Thankfully, things have now changed for the better. It is worth pausing a moment to reflect on that transformation, to think about what it really means, to savour it, to take pride in it: to take pride in the fact that there are now jobs available for our young people, that most of our people can live decent lives, rather than just scraping by, day after day, year after year. To take pride in the fact that these are times when parents need not despair that their children are destined to face emigration or a lifetime of soul-destroying unemployment.
That transformation didn’t just materialise by chance. It was built by the hard work, commitment and integrity of men and women in every walk of life - parents, educators, elected representatives, public servants, business people – working in partnership to build this hope-filled present. If our current success is to be sustained, it is essential that this ethos of partnership continues. That means inspiring in our young people the belief that they can make a difference, that public service is worthwhile, that they can play a part in building a future to be proud of.
Part of that future must be to include those who have not yet shared in the benefits of our prosperity. Earlier today, I opened a new centre for the Samaritans, and launched the Youth Homeless Drugs Initiative for the Cork Simon Community. The need for facilities such as these is a sobering reminder that many in our community, far from surging ever upwards and onwards on a wave of success, are barely keeping their heads above water. Their frailty, their brokenness, can sit uneasily with our newly discovered sense of being a successful, confident people - but only if our measure of success is narrow and bereft of vision. A wider and more generous approach to success, recognises that the more people we include, the more people whose innate talents we unlock and put to use, the greater our capacity to sustain prosperity in the long-term.
It is to the great credit of the people of Cork that they have shown such generosity and compassion in caring for those in need of a helping hand. But then, taking the long view of things, whether in hurling or social policy, has always been a trait of Corkonians and no doubt one of the reasons they dominated the civil service for so long!
Here in this City Council, building the future is what you sought office to do, what you were elected for. Some of the foundations which you have laid are visible to all – the new Jack Lynch Tunnel springs to mind. Others are less obvious but just as crucial to the future health and well-being of this city. One of the greatest threats to that future is the scourge of drug addiction and I commend you on your role in hosting a major seminar this week on behalf of the European Cities Against Drugs organisation (ECAD), some of whose members are here today.
I wish you well in all your future work and I would like to thank you once again for this Civic Reception.
Guím rath agus séan oraibh.