REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF “YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR CALL” NATIONAL GALLERY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF “YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR CALL” NATIONAL GALLERY WEDNESDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY 2010
Good afternoon everyone.
My thanks to Laurence Crowley for his kind introduction. It is a special delight to be here for the launch of Your Country, Your Call, …is leatsa e. The mood of the moment is of pessimism and disappointment and it is easy to see why for only a few short years ago we were enjoying an economic high tide that brought nearly full employment and lots of opportunity. But we were in reality on a roller coaster that brought us rapidly from those heady days into the ebb tide of a global and national economic crisis. We have had to rethink our expectations and assumptions and now as we try to map out a better future, we want to use this decade wisely and well, to secure the well-being of our families, our communities and our country. We need fresh thinking and action to shake off these doldrums and get us into forward gear. Ireland has formidable brainpower and a determination forged and tested over many generations. Your Country, Your Call is a challenge to this generation to come up with workable proposals capable of helping to put Ireland back firmly on its two feet.
It’s an on-line competition to find winning proposals that will be potential blueprints for the transformation of our economy or significant sections of it. They might involve new ways of doing ordinary everyday things, or new models for doing business or delivering services, or they might identify a completely new industry, business, service or community enterprise. The possibilities are open-ended but the winning proposals should be game-changers with the potential to bring fundamental benefits to the generality of Irish society. The proposals can come from any area or combination of areas such as, community, voluntary, charity, education, development, arts, humanities, technology, business, industry, services, health care, agriculture, religion, sport, sciences or tourism. The winning proposals may well result from one person’s ingenuity or from a convergence of ideas through collaboration across a range of disciplines and sectors. So you can enter as an individual or as a group from anywhere in the world and so long as you are over eighteen you have the chance of winning one of the two first prizes of 100,000 euro and of seeing your proposal come to life with the financial backing, advice and support of Your Country Your Call’s expert team.
Even if you haven’t got a proposal or if you are under eighteen you can help drive the competition to great success by giving on-line support and feedback on the proposals. So it is a very inclusive, democratic and welcoming venture which will hopefully be
experienced rather like the meitheal of old. It is hoped that Your Country, Your Call will become a “mind meitheal,” which will generate interest and debate in families, workplaces, clubs, organisations, institutions, schools, colleges, communities, promoting positive thinking, faith hope and confidence in our country’s future .
Already the “meitheal” mentality is well at work for there has been huge, spontaneous and generous support for the competition from individuals and across the business, community, media, sporting, education and government sectors in terms of funding and setting up the competition and in getting the message out, encouraging as many people as possible to take part either as competitors or supporters or commentators. The competition is itself a fine example of the spirit of volunteering and of generous donation of money and pro bono services which make community life in Ireland so rich and caring. I warmly thank all those who so immediately helped in the setting up of the competition. No-one looked for reward, recognition or credit but simply the chance to serve our country. Their energy and enthusiasm, their imagination and commitment proved the truth of the old Irish proverb - ní neart go cur le chéile - there is strength in unity. At a deeper level it tells us that until we pool our talents, combine our thinking power, we never fully realise the extent of our strength and our power to move mountains. We have within us the capacity to change things for the better by mobilising our individual and collective “can-do” spirit.
Your Country, Your Call is essentially an act of faith in our brain-power and our ability to create an exciting and realizable landscape of opportunity for our country and our people. It is now officially open for your proposals. So get talking, thinking and proposing.
Over to you - Is leatsa e.