REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF FOTA HOUSE, CORK ON TUESDAY, 30APRIL, 2002
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF FOTA HOUSE, CORK ON TUESDAY, 30APRIL, 2002
Tá áthas orm bheith i bhur láthair ar an ocáid speisalta seo chun Teach Fota a oscailt go hoifigiúil. Tá mé buíoch díbh as an gcuireadh agus as an bhfáilte fhíorchaoin a chur sibh romham.
I am delighted to be with you today in this most beautiful of places. For many years the name of Fota has been associated with enjoyment, leisure and pleasure. With the opening of this magnificent historic House a wonderful new dimension has been added to the Fota experience with its island location, its legendary Arboretum and Gardens, its exotic Wildlife Park and of course it championship golf course. I owe thanks to Allen McEnery and the Fota Trust Company Ltd for the privilege of being part of this official opening day.
It was of course University College Cork which had the vision and foresight to purchase this property in 1975 thanks to Professor Tom Raftery. Those who know Tom, know that Fota has been a large part of his life since the day many years ago when he and his wife were driving by here and his attention was caught by the gates of Fota, which were the same as the gates of his old school at Ballyfin. Fota’s gates on that day were guarding private property and though the successful Fota Wildlife Park was developed in the surrounding estate, the House remained safe but shuttered, lifeless and forgotten. Tom’s persistence and persuasiveness paid off and a few years ago Dúchas came to the rescue with a scheme of restoration. Today, I am sure it is a source of particular pride and pleasure to Tom that those historic gates are now open and there is a “fáilte mór” for visitors. Tom is now Secretary of the Fota Trust which manages this great House, so the House cannot escape him and he cannot escape it. Which is as it should be for few people know as well as Tom does, the long journey, the formidable obstacles, the faith, the ups and downs which led to this day and to the effective partnership which made it happen. That partnership of commitment, effort, resources and common vision brought together the Fota Trust, Dúchas, the Heritage Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, the Office of Public Works, the two local authorities and the EU, through the Operational Programme for Tourism. Each played a hugely significant role in this welcome development and through their combined energies, these wonderful facilities are offered to the Irish people and to our many visitors.
Like Áras an Uachtaráin this House was originally built as a hunting lodge but under the later direction of Midleton born architect Sir Richard Morrison and his son, it grew and blossomed to become the centrepiece of one of Ireland’s loveliest ornamental estates. It is a repository of great design, a showcase of skill and creativity, a rich archive of detail and insight and it is too a place where generations lived their lives through tumultuous periods of our history. Their stories too are captured under this roof.
We have with us here today a woman whose connections with this House began more than fifty years ago in 1948 and only ended when the estate was sold in 1975. Patty Butler worked for Mrs. Dorothy Bell, the last Smith-Barry to live at Fota and has many memories of those years. I hope to prevail on her to recount some of the stories to me in a little while. We have much to thank Patty for because she gave invaluable help and guidance in the refurbishing of the kitchen area ensuring that it was restored as a true reflection of the way things were all those years ago.
Fota House had an eventful past and now it has a great future. Its status as a crucial part of the jigsaw puzzle that is our history is secured and not as a museum piece or a mausoleum but as a dynamic, accessible, recreational and educational resource. Its proper conservation is assured and its great rooms originally designed on a grand scale with entertainment in mind, will once again be filled with the sound of voices, music and laughter.
The men, women and children who cross the threshold of this House will find much to fascinate and delight them, to intrigue them and to make them glad that we live in an Ireland where doors once closed are open and a national treasure is regenerated for all the people.
I congratulate and thank everyone involved in giving new life to Fota and a new gift to our national patrimony. I wish you every success in all your future endeavours. I hope that many generations of new memories will grow happily here and with them, vindication of the hopes of those who saw beyond the closed gates to an open and welcoming hearth.
I now take great pleasure in declaring Fota House officially open.
Go raibh maith agaibh.