REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF HABINTEG HOUSING ASSOCIATION SCHEME BALLYDUFF PARK
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF HABINTEG HOUSING ASSOCIATION SCHEME BALLYDUFF PARK, LIFFORD, CO DONEGAL
Dia dhíbh, a chairde. Good afternoon to you all. Thank you Paul [Kerr] and all the members of the Habinteg Housing Association, for having me here to Ballyduff Park for the opening of this important and worthy project in this beautiful part of our country. The 53 homes for families, older people and persons with disabilities are a wonderful addition, not just to our built environment, but to the store of resources we are building across the island to help create the most inclusive, engaging Ireland that the world has ever seen; a country which lives its values of equality in every aspect of its life, a country where the nation’s children and adults are all cherished equally. The Board and staff of Habinteg deserve great praise and gratitude for their courage and commitment in bringing to fruition such a large-scale housing project - a project that is fundamentally about giving people the joy of a lovely comfortable home to call their own.
It is a particular pleasure for me, as I mentioned earlier today in Derry, to have been asked to travel across the Border to perform these twin openings during my visit to the North West today. It’s the first such dual opening I’ve done, though I hope it won’t be the last. The two Habinteg schemes form a strong testament to the reassuring changes that are taking place at all levels in this corner of Ireland as a result of the new dispensation that peace has brought. Today we celebrate not just the changes taking place in relations across the Border, but given the Habinteg Housing Association’s roots in Britain, the great changes that have occurred in the relationship between Ireland and Britain. Once we were not so neighbourly, today we are warm friends, colleagues and effective partners in the Peace Process. The new mood has already released many sources of fresh energy and creativity and these houses capture the time and the mood perfectly.
The completion of a successful project on a scale like this doesn’t depend solely on macro-level political developments. They merely create the context for such projects to take place. What makes them happen is the determined inputs of people like those we see around us today, members of voluntary organisations, who, because of their base in the local community and their knowledge and understanding of the community’s needs, are uniquely qualified to identify and meet the needs of groups in their area. As Margaret Mead said, we must never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. The expansion of the voluntary movement in recent years across so many different areas of activity, and its willingness to assume responsibilities of care for one another on a scale such as this are for me profoundly encouraging signs of the health of our civil society and the capacity for goodness of the human person.
As the age profile of Ireland shifts, so our need for innovative care solutions will increase, not just for our senior citizens, but also for persons living with disabilities and special needs. Suitable housing is a critical factor in enabling all of our people to live stimulating, full, independent lives in the community for as long as possible. Sheltered housing is one of the most effective ways of making this possible. The location of this scheme, right in the centre of Lifford is just perfect – it is close to all of the town’s amenities and facilities, making it as easy as possible for residents to go about their everyday business with a minimum of difficulty.
The voluntary housing movement is a phenomenal force which performs much-needed work across the island of Ireland, and is now very much a key part of the Irish social housing system. In Northern Ireland the voluntary sector is the principal provider of social housing, and Habinteg has been a leading player in that sector for years.
Now we stand in sight of their first foray south and already we need no convincing of its great success. I hope that it paves the way for further such cooperation with other County Councils. The State has contributed over €7 million to this project through Donegal County Council. Habinteg’s invaluable store of knowledge and experience has created a quite formidable partnership and now because of that partnership things that might have been impossible to achieve alone are possible through partnership.
The development of these schemes takes place against a backdrop of massive Government investment in the North West in transport and educational infrastructure which will greatly enhance the potential of the entire region, one of the most beautiful on this island.
I would like to congratulate the Habinteg Housing Association, Donegal County Council, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the project design architects, engineers and builders and all those associated with the completion of this wonderful scheme. To those who will live in and benefit from this beautiful new development, I wish you many years of health and happiness in your new homes, which I now take great pleasure in declaring officially open.
Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh. Go n-éirí go geal libh. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.