Remarks by President McAleese at the International Federation of Parks & Recreation Administration
Remarks by President McAleese at the International Federation of Parks & Recreation Administration World Congress 3 September 07
Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to welcome you all to Ireland and to this important Congress. Our traditional welcome is céad míle fáilte, one hundred thousand welcomes. I should probably be here as a delegate since I am fortunate enough to live right in the heart of the Phoenix Park, Ireland’s most famous National Historic Park, and one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe. It is a much used and much loved park, a place where nature and city abide in relative harmony. It is the lungs of our city, the place tens of thousands are drawn to each week and one of the lovely things to see today is the extent to which our new Irish citizens drawn from all over the world are discovering the beauty, the rest, the recreation, the history and the facilities Dublin’s great park offers free each day. So I hope if you don’t already know it those of you who are strangers among us will find your way there this week and to a few other places besides for you will of course be spoilt for choice here in Ireland.
It is wonderful to see delegates here from across the globe and I extend a particularly warm welcome today to those who have travelled from overseas, in particular to the President of the International Federation of Parks & Recreation Administration, Mr Yoritaka Tashiro, who has travelled all the way from Japan. There are delegates here from almost thirty countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. To each of you I say a huge thank you for paying us the compliment of coming to our country and I hope the Congress will help generate many fresh ideas, friendships and professional networks which will enhance your work in the years ahead.
You have come to the right city and the right country, for the imprint of our complex history is nowhere more accessibly evident than in Dublin’s fabulous array of public parks.
One of the city’s most famous central landmarks, St Stephen’s Green, dates back to 1663 and represents a prime example of the Renaissance period. A stone’s throw away, Merrion Square, dating from 1820, typifies the Georgian period evident in so much of the city’s architecture. Typically, these parks are the product of English and French designers, a visible example of the benefits of international cooperation in this area. The National Botanic Gardens, which I understand you will be visiting tomorrow, are more than two hundred years old, and benefit greatly from their early care at the hands of a Scotsman, Ninian Nevin, who, having cut his teeth on the formal gardens of what is now my own residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, went on to curate the Botanic Gardens.
Near the Phoenix Park lies a park closely linked to another chapter of Ireland’s history: the National War Memorial at Islandbridge. This park which is something of an undiscovered treasure, was designed by Edwin Lutyens and constructed in the 1930s to commemorate the 49,500 Irishmen who died fighting in the First World War. His inspired hand is also visible in places like Heywood Gardens at Ballinakill in County Laois, Lambay Island and some works at Howth Castle and grounds.
Most of the time our much talked about Irish climate is mild and comfortable for plants from all over the world, including some sub-tropical species and orchids. Cuttings from Malahide Gardens just outside Dublin City were used to reintroduce a species utterly destroyed by fire in its native Tasmania. We have a healthy supply of rainfall sometimes more appreciated by plants than people. I hope it doesn’t obstruct your enjoyment of all Ireland has to offer on this working visit.
You will see an Ireland that has changed greatly in recent years. Our population is growing for the first time in over a century and a half. Outward migration, a feature of Irish life for generations, has given way to net inward migration and a truly multicultural, multinational milieu. We are now a prosperous and a wealthy nation and of course land is at a premium and our facilities and resources are coming under the inevitable pressures that one would expect from a booming and busy car oriented population.
The foresight of the local authorities in Dublin has ensured, through an ambitious programme of land acquisition for public parks, that the increase in population will not come at the expense of quality of life. Today parks make up sixteen per cent of the land of the metropolitan area of Dublin, the highest proportion of any city in Europe, so though most people are busier than ever and better off financially than ever, those parks and green spaces offer the same peace, quiet, recreation and access to nature to rich and poor, new Irish and old, visitor from the country or from abroad. They are the great equalisers, the places that truly celebrate and embrace diversity.
The theme chosen for this Congress by the chairman of IFPRA Europe Dr Christy Boylan, and the organising committee, Parks: A Celebration of Diversity, is about as appropriate as you could get. Dublin is very proud to be host to this year’s Congress thanks to Christy and Dr John McCullen, well known to us in the Áras, who was recently appointed the IFPRA World Commissioner for Ireland.
Occasions such as this congress are essential for modern management, irrespective of the field. Any more than the cuttings from Malahide transplanted to Tasmania, conferences such as this provide invaluable opportunities to cross-pollinate ideas, techniques, experiences and plans among professionals involved in your vibrant, life-enhancing roles. I hope that you find it useful. And any more than the plants in your parks, you yourselves will need to be fed and watered too! The Irish know well how to have a good time, so I hope that in addition to all your hard work, you’ll have a chance to enjoy something of our Irish hospitality as you travel around the country.
I would like to conclude by congratulating the various Councils of Dublin City and the Office of Public Works for organising this congress, and to commend your sponsors, Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board and the Heritage Council for their support of this marvellous event.
For all of your hard work in providing recreation spaces for persons around the world, thank you sincerely. Have a wonderful conference, and I hope we will see you back in Ireland again shortly.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.