REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE RICHARD MULCAHY TOWN PARK AT CLONMEL
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE RICHARD MULCAHY TOWN PARK AT CLONMEL ON SATURDAY, 29TH MAY, 1999
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil daoibh as ucht na fáilte féile a fuair mé inniú anseo i gCluain Meala.
I would like to thank you all for your very warm welcome and, especially, Councillor Vera Hewitt and Risteárd Mulcahy, for inviting me to officially open the Richard Mulcahy Town Park.
This is a day of celebration for Clonmel and I am particularly happy that the event we are here to celebrate brings together several important issues: opening an amenity that will give pleasure to ordinary people for generations to come; honouring a man who served his country diligently; remembering the contribution to our national life made by our armed forces; and, of course, marking a new chapter in the long and varied history of this town.
Although born in Waterford, Richard Mulcahy developed close links with Tipperary at an early stage of his life and later made his home in Clonmel. Richard Mulcahy displayed courage, skill and intellect as a solider in the field, as Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Army and as a Government Minister in Departments as varied as Defence, Local Government and Public Health, and Education.
He retained throughout his life his love of this town and of his county, and was committed to the constituents of South Tipperary whom he represented for many years. He had a tremendous interest in the Irish language and in all aspects of Irish cultural life and was a prominent member of the Gaelic League. He came of a generation in which many young men and women found it natural to ask serious questions about politics, justice, culture, heritage, to base their actions on deeply-felt principles and to give generously of themselves and their talents in public and political life. He had a breadth of vision which taught him that military and political ideals will in the end always fall short unless they are rooted in a desire to improve the lives of ordinary people.
It is fitting that we have among us today the current Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Dave Stapleton, a native of Clonmel, for Richard Mulcahy played such an important part in making the Defence Forces into an organisation that has served the country so well over the years. He would be particularly delighted to see the army represented here today, especially the Army Band from the Southern Command – since it was as a result of his initiative, that the Army School of Music was founded. And as we enjoy having members of the Defence Forces here today in their festive and ceremonial role, we should also remember those far from our shores in troubled places in the world, working to help the people of those places achieve the peace and stability that Richard Mulcahy so greatly valued. They have been and are very special ambassadors for Ireland and for the value of peace-keeping to the world community.
I mentioned the importance of improving the lives of ordinary people. And this beautiful public park, complementing so well as it does the natural landscape, will certainly enhance the lives of the people of Clonmel, and indeed of their visitors. I know that they will take particular delight in the extensive arboretum which is an important feature of the Park and which has over two hundred trees all sourced from nurseries here in Tipperary. I would like to pay tribute to the creative kindness of the Mulcahy family, whose monument to their loved one has taken the form of an amenity which will bring beauty and serenity into people’s lives. I would also like to congratulate the Mayor and Borough Council for their own generosity in donating the site and supplying the expertise to design and develop the park. Much work has been done by many people to ensure that the park has become a reality; and I am sure that they will be rewarded many times over both in their own enjoyment of it and in the knowledge that many others love it too. I would like to thank all those who had a part to play in its planning, wonderful design and completion.
This new amenity represents everything that is best about Clonmel and its people, and is a fitting tribute to one of its noblest sons.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ó chroí a ghabháil daoibh as ucht an chuiridh a thug sibh dom a bheith libh inniú, agus is mór an sásamh dom a fhógairt go bhfuil an pháirc seo, Páirc Richeáird Uí Mhaolchatha, oscailte.