Remarks by President McAleese at the Ordnance Survey Ireland Photographic Exhibition
Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Friday, 23rd September, 2011
Dia dhíbh go léir inniu. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh ar an ócáid speisialta seo. Míle
bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte a thug sibh dom.
Ladies and Gentlemen I am delighted to be here today to launch this wonderful exhibition.
Thanks to Geraldine Ruane for asking me and a special thanks to
those who conceived the idea of the book and gave us such a range of images of life in this
park on a summer day in 2011. Each image is set in the same place and on the same day and
yet no two are the same for the Park’s life shifts each moment like a vast kaleidoscope. So
we have light playing through the trees catching children at play, adults at work, animals
enjoying the sun, old buildings looked at through new eyes, nature in abundance and
memories called to mind for all who see this exhibition, of days spent here on family picnics,
or fun runs, or visits to the zoo or to feed the ducks or catch sight of the elusive deer, or to
attend a concert or see the Pope, play football, cricket, watch polo, fly a kite, walk a dog, ride
a horse, a bike, visit Bloom, visit the Aras……
For some of us the Park is the place we live or work - or in my case live and work. The park
is home to a hospital community of patients and staff and many people will have memories of
visiting relatives and friends in St. Mary’s or going there to cast their vote in an election. It is
home to a very quaint and delightful little school so there are very lucky schoolchildren and
staff who have this vast park right on their doorstep. We have restaurants, a visitors’ centre,
the imposing Farmleigh with its VIP visitors, its farmers markets and prom concerts. We
have Government Offices, Garda Headquarters, Gaisce now installed in Ratra, the Ordnance
Survey, the Zoo, the American Ambassador’s home and quite a few other lovely homes, all
of them part of a lively everyday community that can go unnoticed by the thousands of
motorists, joggers and tourists who pass through the Park each day.
Edgar Watson Howe once said, ‘Nothing is wonderful when you get used to it’. Even amidst
the beauty of this unique park it would be easy to overlook its fascination and reduce it to the
hum drum. This exhibition challenges us to look at the park anew, with fresh eyes and to find
again its joys and its possibilities.
It was William Thackeray who claimed that “The two most engaging powers of a
photographer are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.” I have lived here for
fourteen years and travelled through the park to and from our home in Dunshaughlin every
day for ten years, walked it regularly, saw it in every season and yet in this Exhibition I was
introduced to it as if for the first time. Some of the photographs on display are funny and
whimsical, others dramatic and powerful. Taken together they remind us of what a huge
blessing it is to Dublin and to Ireland to have this precious space at the heart of our capital
city and at the heart of the life of our city. Some have described it as the lungs of Dublin – its
trees keeping our citizens and our city healthy. So it is an every generous friend to generation
after generation, celebrated and used by each generation quite differently but this generation
has returned that generosity with an exhibition that respects, showcases and celebrates the
Phoenix Park and those who use it.
I would like to pay tribute to all the staff and management of all the organisations who took
part in the project - the Garda Headquarters, the Office of Public Works, Farmleigh, St.
Mary’s Hospital, Dublin Zoo, and of course our own staff in Áras an Uachtaráin.
This exhibition has only been possible because of the hard work and commitment of the Ordnance Survey Ireland and I congratulate them on what they have achieved. I hope the exhibition and the book will bring a lot of pleasure into a lot of lives.
As someone who has been privileged to live in the Phoenix Park for fourteen years, it is a real
joy to see such a wonderful tribute to such a special place and I thank you all for that.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go leir.