REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW PREMISES FOR THE TOURISM/ACTIVITY CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW PREMISES FOR THE TOURISM/ACTIVITY CENTRE OF THE SWILLY MULROY CO-OP SOC.
Dia dhíbh a cháirde. Tá áthas orm bheith anseo libh tráthnóna.
It’s good to be back in beautiful County Donegal and to be here for a very special celebration of a great milestone in the life of the Swilly/Mulroy Co-op Society Ltd. – the opening of the new premises of the Tourism and Activity Centre. I know that this is a long awaited and much needed facility and now it is a valuable resource at the heart of the community thanks to the huge effort of all those who made it possible. To them a big míle buíochas agus comhghairdeachas libh.
One of the best parts of being President is the unique opportunity I get to see the sheer magnitude of what is being achieved day in and day out through voluntary effort from one end of Ireland to the other. In individual communities it works miracles. At national level it makes us stronger, more confident, more united, more caring. None of it is done for thanks or recognition. It is done out of simple human care for one another. It is done by an unofficial army of selfless ambassadors for everything humanly decent and generous about Irish people. They make the heart of this country beat and they keep the heart soft. What you all share is a wisdom about what the community needs and a deep desire to meet those needs. I heard it put very well recently when someone said to me that there are two types of people – drains and radiators and I wasn’t attending a plumbing conference. The “drains” sit around giving out about all the things that are wrong, the ‘radiators’ get out there and fix them.
Today I am most definitely among “radiators” - individuals who have harnessed their combined strength and imagination to find solutions to problems, to create a better world for young, middle-aged and old. “Ní neart gur chur le chéile” as the old Irish proverb rightly says - we only begin to comprehend our strength when we work with others towards a common goal.
What we see here today is the culmination of a lot of time and energy and commitment and dedication by a vibrant partnership to making something better here in this lovely area on the Fanad Peninsula. And when it comes to planning and preparation, it would be hard to match the record of the Swilly/Mulroy Community Development Committee. The Committee members are to be highly commended for the lengths you went to, to ensure that the Centre would meet the needs of the community here – I believe that you visited more than 800 homes in the Fanad and Kerrykeel area to do this. I’d say that took more than an hour or two!
Anyway, the effort was very worthwhile and today the Committee and the many others who made today possible should be happy in a job well done. The Centre is already a hive of activity – community playgroup ensconced, mini-gym, meeting room, office, kitchen/dining rooms – facilities to do so much in and I’m particularly glad to see that it will be used to assist with the very important ‘Breaking the Cycle’ initiative along with the many other activities that are planned for here. This will be a busy place with its myriad activities - the local community playgroup, local women’s groups and youth groups will come together here. Programmes will be run incorporating care for the elderly, and various training and development classes funded by the Donegal VEC will be made available to local people to both create new skills and upgrade existing ones. Of course, the hall will also be utilised for plenty of sport and physical activity too so it will indeed be an all-encompassing hub of activity!
A vote of thanks is owed for the important financial support given through the PEACE II Programme, CLÁR, the Social Economy Programme and the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme for helping to bring about new and exciting opportunities for the people of this area.
This Centre has all the hallmarks of success and I am sure it will be a much-valued asset to the community for many years to come, a place where lives are changed, where community is strengthened, where happy memories are stored and opportunities are offered. It is a place of welcome and affirmation to all, a place where the genius of each human person is cherished and their fullest potential empowered. The Swilly Mulroy Community Development Co-op Society whose mission statement includes “the removal of any fears and suspicions that exist within the community’, shows great vision and example as a truly inclusive organisation, welcoming people from all denominations and indeed all walks of life, celebrating the diverse talents and perspectives of each, sure in the knowledge that each has a unique and valued contribution to make to community life. Only when all get the chance to freely make that contribution does the fullest potential of the individual and the community fully reveal itself. I sincerely wish this community every success in all the years ahead as it works together to showcase itself at its very best.
Congratulations on what you have achieved, I wish you even brighter days in the years ahead.
Go maire sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.