REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CLONDALKIN YOUNG TRAVELLERS WOMEN’S EXHIBITION
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CLONDALKIN YOUNG TRAVELLERS WOMEN’S EXHIBITION WEDNESDAY, 19TH JULY 2000
Cuireann sé athas ar mo chroí bheith anseo libh inniú agus tá mé thar buíoch daoibh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom.
I am delighted to join you today to launch this wonderful exhibition and I would like to thank Conor Masterson for the kind invitation.
I am impressed by so many aspects of this exhibition, its professionalism, the excellent photography. But most impressive of all, is the pride, courage, integrity and sheer honesty which shines through in the life stories told by Laura, Mellisa, Rosie and Julianne.
Today, our country is going through a period of unprecedented prosperity and economic growth. We are justifiably proud of our successes. Yet we cannot afford to measure our success as a nation in purely economic terms. Our success as a people must be based on building a society which is inclusive, which respects diversity, which provides opportunities for everyone, regardless of background, to reach their full potential as individuals and as members of society.
Your stories clearly tell that there is much work to be done if we are to have such a society. You tell us of your abhorrence of the discrimination you face on a daily basis. My heart went out to Mellissa when she described how she was refused entrance to a disco on New Years Eve and had to spend the eve of the new millennium watching television with her parents. I’m sure your parents were delighted to have you with them on that special night, but I understand the sense of exclusion you felt on such a night when we witnessed the dawning of a new century and our hearts were filled with hope for a better and brighter future for ourselves and our loved ones.
Yet we must not lose heart, increasingly, we are beginning to understand that our society will be impoverished if we exclude or marginalise any group of people.
The first step on the road to understanding each other is learning to talk to each other and to listen to each other. The Clondalkin Travellers Development Project is to be commended for its work in bridging the gap between the settled and traveller communities. I understand that you have decided to produce a travelling exhibition for local schools and libraries. I have no doubt that this will prove to be extremely worthwhile, because this exhibition shows us all how much we, the settled community and the travelling community have in common. Each of the young women whose work is on view today mentions family ties, and the importance to them of having their families around them. We can never underestimate the importance of family, their love and support help us through our childhood and give us a sound base from which we can enter adulthood as fully rounded members of society.
In each of your jobs, Julianne, a voluntary youth leader, Laura, a volunteer in the after schools project, Mellissa, an administrator in the Parish of the Travelling People, and Rosie an assistant at a Blackrock College, you are giving hope and inspiration to the younger members of the community. The next generation of young traveller boys and girls will look to you as role models, because through your work with them, you are demonstrating the importance of valuing your culture and traditions, and of breaking the cycle of disadvantage by grasping the opportunity to learn new skills to enable you to discover your talents and to fulfil your potential.
I would like to congratulate the Clondalkin Travellers Development Group for their tireless dedication to providing resources for the personal development of the traveller community in Clondalkin. Through the partnership of the traveller and settled community, of state and voluntary sectors, you are giving a community the tools necessary, education, training and support, to help themselves overcome obstacles and find a place for themselves within the broader community. Praise is also due to the Community Media Network who have provided invaluable assistance to the Clondalkin Young Women Traveller Media Group in putting this exhibition and the web–page together.
Finally I would like to thank the young women whose life stories form this exhibition. Thank you Laura, Mellisa, Rosie and Julianne, you have allowed us get to know you, your hopes your dreams and your aspirations. You should be very proud of your work on this wonderful exhibition, I know that we are all proud of you.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.