REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE UK AND IRELAND CORPORATE GAMES
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE UK AND IRELAND CORPORATE GAMES KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte chaoin.
It was a pleasure and an honour for me to have been invited to become Patron of the 1999 UK and Ireland Corporate Games, and I am delighted to be able to join you all here in Limerick for the opening of the Games.
I would like to extend a very warm ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ to the 4,000 visitors from Great Britain and Northern Ireland who will be participating in the Games. I hope your stay in Limerick will be a most enjoyable one, that you will bring home with you warm memories – not only of your competitive success, but also of new friendships with fellow competitors and the people of Limerick. We are delighted to have you here.
It is appropriate that this launch should take place in King John’s Castle, in the heart of Limerick’s Heritage Precinct, for it highlights the way in which the histories of our two countries are interwoven. The most important strand of that rich tapestry of relationships which binds us together is the network of friendships built up by the people of these islands. The strengthening of those ties - which these Games help to support - is the surest guarantee of a brighter, more peaceful future for all our people.
Sport is without doubt, one of the most enjoyable and fruitful ways of nurturing that sense of mutual trust and warmth. These Games, which bring together employees of large and small companies, from Great Britain and Ireland, North and South, competing in friendly rivalry and fun, are a unique and highly successful way of doing this. I would like to warmly commend ‘Sport for Life’, the organisers of the Games for the wonderful imagination and commitment they have brought over the years to this event. I understand that previous Games held in Peterborough, Aberdeen, Bracknell Forest and Belfast, have all been a wonderful success. I have no doubt that the people of Limerick, with the outstanding support provided by the Limerick Hosting Committee, will ensure that this year will be just as enjoyable and memorable. I would like to pay tribute to the Chairman of the Committee, Gerry Lowe - and to all the Committee members who are drawn from a wide range of local government, business and tourism organisations, as well as the University of Limerick - for the exceptional level of hard work, co-operation and energy they have demonstrated in organising this year’s Games.
These Games have another important aspect in that Cerebral Palsy Ireland and a number of charities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland will benefit from the proceeds. Their vital work deserves every support, and I greatly welcome the fact that it is being recognised and supported through these Games.
Finally, I would like to wish all of the participants the very best of luck in whichever event you are competing. I hope that your schedule will allow you to experience some of the many attractions which Limerick has to offer. I understand that Limerick’s Good Food Festival will be taking place in the course of the Games, so I hope that the stringent training routine – which no doubt you have all been following - will be flexible enough to allow you to enjoy the best of Irish cuisine.
Tá súil agam go mbainfaidh sibh taitneamh as na Cluichí. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.