REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW BUILDING ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW BUILDING ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE, THURLES THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER
Distinguished guests, Reverend Fathers,
It was the year of Catholic Emancipation, 1829, the year when the first stirrings of liberal pluralism, of democracy and human rights began to filter through the body politic of the British Empire. The man who was the chief architect of the just society, the egalitarian and democratic society we and many other liberal, secular, democracies now take for granted was one Daniel O’Connell MP, elected in 1828 to serve as MP for County Clare at Westminster but unable to take up his seat because he was a Catholic. In 1829 a small number of the many doors so firmly closed to Catholics were opened. And here in Thurles plans were being laid for the opening of the doors we have come through today.
In that fateful and epoch altering year, Archbishop Laffan laid the foundation stone for St Patrick’s under the watchful eye of a special guest, the Liberator himself. He knew the weight of righteousness of the cause of the oppressed would in time bring about the just and fair world he dreamt of and advocated. He feared that people in their frustration would resort to violence to establish the freedoms their innate human dignity demanded and he dreamt of a day when all such problems would be resolved through dialogue. He dreamt of a prosperous, peaceful Ireland, egalitarian, its two traditions reconciled and working in partnership.
So we meet on a day over a century and a half later. So many different Irelands have come and gone in the meanwhile and so many lives have influenced this place and been influenced by it. But we are by far the most privileged generation ever to have gathered here for so many of O’Connell’s dreams have at last come to pass. We have a written constitution which pledges us to assuring the dignity and freedom of the individual, which holds that all citizens are equal before the law and which outlaws religious discrimination. We have had risings and rebellions, a Civil War and the inadequately named Troubles. But O’Connell’s vision has triumphed. Politics have triumphed and now we have a prosperous country and we have, at last, a peaceful country.
The Foundation Stone here has survived through many changes, many crises and now once again it carries on its shoulders the weight of expectation and hope that pushed a new generation to plan the major refurbishment and the considerable changes that we celebrate today.
We remember with gratitude the 1,500 priests ordained here and whose lives were lived unselfishly in the service of others throughout the world. Many distinguished themselves in the service of the Church and made for Ireland an invaluable global network of firm friends.
That was the job St Patrick’s was built for and it was and remains a job well done. But with the end of priestly formation here in 2002, instead of a story of heartbreaking, even harrowing, disappointment there came a new story of third-level education offered and religious education offered here, to all, a new resource for the people of Tipperary, a fresh new mission for St. Patrick’s.
If the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 was pivotal to educating the colonised world in the concept of democracy, then education itself has been absolutely pivotal to the new Ireland we live in. Yes it is an Ireland in transition, from the half-door to the electronic gates, but it is a good Ireland, on its way to being a great Ireland and the genius of our people released through education is the foundation stone of our future as individuals and as community.
St Patrick’s is a firm part of Ireland’s onward journey. It has much in its history to be proud of and has now set the scene beautifully for much to be proud of in its future. Congratulations to all those who have helped St Patrick’s ring the changes and especially those who have been responsible for the huge job of refurbishment so brilliantly executed. To those who prepared for this special day of celebration, a big thank you and, to all who work and learn here, may this continue to be the kind of place to make the Liberator and his maker proud.
I am delighted to wish you every success in your endeavours in this refurbished building. Congratulations!