REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE LIMERICK CENTRE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE LIMERICK CENTRE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED THOMAS ST. LIMERICK WEDNESDAY, 21ST JULY 1999
Cuireann sé áthas ar mo chroí bheith anseo i bhur measc inniu agus tá mé thar a bheith buíoch díbh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom.
Let me begin by thanking Bill Davoren for those words of welcome. It is wonderful to be here with you today and I am most grateful to Joan Condon and the Board of Management for inviting me.
Every day we read in the newspapers about the unprecedented prosperity that Ireland is now experiencing. We can be proud of those achievements for it offers us hope that this country can and will deliver to the next generation, real equality of opportunity. That must be our goal, the destination of all our energies, but we still have a distance to travel. Indeed, recent reports on Irish poverty levels in comparison with other countries, is a salutary reminder that much work remains to be done. In some ways the gap between rich and poor can appear to be increasing – as those who are doing well seem to accelerate further ahead and those whose boats are beached remain static, bogged down in unemployment, poverty, discrimination, disadvantage and exclusion, made all the harder to bear by the growing self-confidence and success all around them.
We can only judge ourselves to be a success as a nation if all members of our society are enabled to participate as of right in every sphere – in employment, in social networks, in the decision-making process which determines their lives. This generation is the closest to realising it. It won’t happen by accident. But it can be made to happen by commitment.
Centres for the Unemployed such as this one demonstrate that this is not just an empty aspiration. It showed great foresight and care on the part of the Limerick Council of Trade Unions when they established this Centre over 20 years ago. In the intervening period, it has provided a beacon of hope and a hand of support to the local community. It has made a real difference in the life of this community and of so many individuals and families within it.
I would like to particularly commend the facilities you have provided for adult education, with the support of Limerick City VEC. So much of the current success of this country can be traced back to the broadening of educational opportunities. Education really has been the key which has unlocked doors for so many – not just in terms of employment skills, but also in fostering self-confidence, self-respect and self-development. In the fast moving world that we now live in, life-long learning is of particular importance. Not only because the skills required for survival and success are constantly changing, but also because it offers those who missed out on educational opportunities the first time round, a second chance.
This Centre’s work shows that it is never too late – it is never too late for people to discover previously unsuspected talents and interests; it is never too late to experience the satisfaction of achieving new skills and qualifications; and it is never too late to fulfill the hopes and dreams of a better life that education can provide.
When we talk of the marginalised it is important to realise that those in the mainstream are impoverished by their absence. No country can afford to waste the talent and giftedness of its people. Every model, every scrap of that talent and these gifts, needs to be put at the service of building up firstly the human person, then family, community and country.
That is why the work of this Centre for the Unemployed is so important. You are giving back hope to people, re-instilling the confidence that years of exclusion had drained away, providing the support they need to make a difference in their own lives. Through your education and local employment initiatives at this Centre, and your work with organisations such as the Paul Partnership, you are giving back to people the confidence to speak with their own voice and the opportunities to release the creativity, energy and enthusiasm, which they so clearly possess.
I would like to warmly commend everyone associated with the Centre for all their dedication and hard work – Bill Davoren, Joan Condon, the Board and Management and all of the staff. Most of all, I would like to congratulate the many people who have had the courage and determination to make use of this Centre’s facilities.
As we look forward to the next millennium, I have no doubt that this Centre will continue to go from strength to strength. I wish you every success in your future work.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh arís as ucht an cuireadh a thug sibh dom bheith anseo libh inniu. Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh agus guím gach rath air sna blianta atá romhaibh.