REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE FAMILY TREE PLANTING, ARAS AN UACHTARAIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE FAMILY TREE PLANTING, ARAS AN UACHTARAIN THURSDAY, 6TH JANUARY 2000
- Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
- I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to all of you on behalf of Martin, Emma, Sara-Mai, Justin, Charlie and myself. We have families here today from all over Ireland, North and South, and I can think of no better way to celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family than here, with my own family and with all of yours.
- A very special ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ to all of the children here today. I hope that Santa didn’t mix up any of your letters or that Rudolf didn’t get blown off course by the gales on Christmas Eve. I am sure he was very good to you, generous and kind as he always is and that you in turn will be good and generous to each other during this coming year.
- This day, the Epiphany, traditionally marks the end of the Christmas season. The Christmas tree and the decorations come down; they are packed away for another year and in the cleaning up operations it would be easy to miss the fact that this is too a big day of celebration. For it is also the day on which we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.
- Baby Jesus family was very special but no matter how unique it was I am sure, it was not so different from other families in many ways. There were chores to be done, hugs to be given and I am sure the odd argument about whose turn it was to clean up the wood shavings from Joseph’s carpentry.
- I grew up in a family of nine brothers and sisters, so I know how hard it is to get along with everyone all of the time. Families are the place where we first realise that not everyone is exactly the same, not everyone sees things or hears things or understands things exactly as we ourselves do. In families we learn about the huge variety in human nature, we learn how to get along with very, very different people and we learn about ourselves. It is the place where hopefully we first learn that we are loved and learn how to love others, we learn how to forgive, to make up after a fall out, to work together as a team, to care for each other when problems come. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but they are still the first and the most important place of learning and of belonging in our lives. There is a saying that what is learnt in childhood is engraved on stone. Engrave well and like a skilled diamond cutter a good parent can bring out the brilliance, the internal beauty in a child; engrave badly and you can mark a child for life. My grandfather’s headstone is made of stone and there is a small mistake on it. I asked the engraver if it could be fixed and he said it is so deeply engraved on the stone that the only way to fix it is to start again and make a new stone. We do not get that chance with children - we get one go around – that is why good families, good parenting are worth celebrating, worth their weight in gold to any community, any country.
- We have just celebrated 2000 years since the birth of Christ. It is appropriate that here today, we should celebrate the family which nurtured that child, watched him grow into a man who would change the course of human history by telling us to love one another and showing us how to love one another. And what better way to mark that event than by planting some trees that have been brought all the way from Bethlehem – where it all began - to the Aras. I would like to thank everyone in Dúchas and all of our wonderful gardeners for making the arrangements. We hope those trees will grow and thrive and provide a lasting link and a lasting reminder between that Holy Family and all of the families here today. So I hope you will all join me in a few minutes – weather permitting – as Martin, Emma, Sara-Mai, Justin and myself each plant one of those trees.
- Afterwards we will come back to the house to warm up and have an opportunity to meet all the other families. I would like to say a special thank you to the Togher Children’s Choir who have sung so beautifully for us in the Front Hall, and our harpists Teresa and Mary O’Donnell. I think they all deserve a big round of applause.
- Every family has its special days, special memories. I hope today will be one of those for you. Thank you again for coming and sharing this day with my family.