REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE STEWART PARKER TRUST AWARDS CEREMONY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE STEWART PARKER TRUST AWARDS CEREMONY ABBEY THEATRE, DUBLIN
Tá an-athás orm bheith anseo i bhur measc tráthnóna. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte chaoin.
I was delighted to accept John Farleigh’s kind invitation to present these Awards on this, the tenth anniversary of the Stewart Parker Trust’s foundation and I would like to thank you all for your warm welcome.
We in Ireland are fortunate to have had so many superb playwrights over the years, whose insight and genius have been acknowledged world-wide. We treasure the gifts they have given us. But it is important that we do not rest on past glories, that we continue to encourage new talent, that we enable the genius of a new generation to be unlocked. For now, more than ever, we need that celebration of life, that criticism of cant, that entertainment and that provocation, which only their fresh new talent can bring us.
That is why the work of the Stewart Parker Trust in supporting young playwrights who are working in Ireland, is so important. That support ranges from annual workshops at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annamakerrig, to the Radio Drama award which it administers in conjunction with BBC Northern Ireland, to the annual bursary for an emerging playwright which I am proud to be presenting here this evening.
I am particularly pleased that, at this time of ever increasing co-operation between both parts of this island, theatre and production companies from all over the island are invited to nominate writers for this bursary. That spirit of partnership is equally evident in the funding which both An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Northern Ireland Arts Council provide for the Trust.
This is an organisation which constantly seeks to find new ways to encourage diversity and independent voices. It comes as no surprise therefore, that last year it established two new awards. The first of these is for a new playwright working in the Irish language. Is mór liom an t-uchtach agus an misneach a thugann an gradam seo do dhrámadóirí a roghnaíonn an Ghaeilge mar mheán drámaíochta. Tá mé cinnte go dtiocfaidh forbairt agus bláth ar drámaíocht Ghaeilge dá bharr.
The second award that was established in 1998 is for a playwright whose work has contributed to the betterment of cross community understanding within Northern Ireland. This award is of particular value at this crucial time, when our search for peace on this island is so dependent on our capacity to look anew at ourselves and at ‘the other’; to realise it is possible to value what we hold dear without denigrating that which is different. To understand that if we are willing to reach out with joyful curiosity rather than antagonism, that very diversity can be a source of enrichment rather than threat. It is an approach which is very much in keeping with both the writings and life of Stewart Parker and I have no doubt that he would have greatly welcomed this imaginative response.
The Stewart Parker Foundation owes much to the commitment and dedication of all those who have worked so hard over the years to ensure its success. I would like to particularly commend its administrator, John Farleigh, whose vision and generosity of spirit has ensured that young playwrights are fostered and encouraged in every way possible at this critical juncture in their careers. It is a time when fragile self-confidence can be overwhelmed by the forces of self-doubt, a time when nurturing the gift of talent is vital if it is to flourish - to find its feet. I would also like to pay tribute to the members of the Trust, the adjudicators of the awards, the sponsors, and all those associated with this imaginative programme over the past decade. Irish drama and Irish society owe you a great debt of gratitude. Let me take this opportunity to say thank you on their behalf.
Finally, I would like to extend my warm congratulations to the winners of the Awards here this evening. May your work go from strength to strength in the years ahead, as you grow in wisdom, insight, in skill and in a deepening belief is your giftedness and the importance of your craft.
Guím rath agus séan ar bhur gcuid oibre san am atá le teacht.