REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS ENCOUNTER ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS ENCOUNTER ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN ON WEDNESDAY 1 MAY, 2002
A cháirde, cuireann sé an-áthas orm agus mo fhear céile, Mairtín, fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir go dtí Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
I am delighted that you were all able to come to the Áras today. I was afraid you mightn’t want to miss school. As the Summer fast approaches and with it the prospect of long and leisurely school holidays, many of you I’m sure would have much preferred to be in school this afternoon to get the most out of the few remaining weeks at Irish, English or Geography. I hope that you will get over the disappointment and enjoy your time here.
I would like to thank you all for all your hard work in preparing the wonderfully impressive projects you presented me with today - you really have done very well and I will treasure them.
I am very proud to be President of Ireland and I see it as part of my mission to promote links and contacts between people, to build bridges. What better way to go about that than with children - the decision-makers of the future. We have a large number of children here today from all parts of Ireland, and you will meet lots of new people and I hope will make new friends. That is what building bridges is all about. It is also about ‘extending the hand of friendship’ to a new boy or girl in our class, an elderly or sick neighbour who might be lonely or need help, or to people who are different to us, who might have a different religion, nationality or background. Every time you say or do something nice for another person you make a place of goodness and happiness in your heart and in the hearts of those around you. This is your world and you can help make it a better place.
Today I will meet you – we might shake hands or smile at each other. In our own way, we are extending the hand of friendship. Each and every one of us is important and all of us should be valued as the special people we are. Building bridges is also about being brave and courageous – standing up for those who aren’t as strong, refusing to pick on someone because they are different, making friends with those who don’t fit in.
I would like to say a special word of thanks to your teachers for bringing you here today and for everything they are doing to prepare you to become the doers of the future – to help you grow and develop and explore your true potential. What they do for you is hugely important – so be nice to them!
I would like to finish by thanking Paul Kennedy our MC, and to our very creative balloon modelers, who have been very busy this afternoon. My thanks also to John Gould, the Civil Defence Officer on duty for his expert assistance, and of course the staff here at Áras who work very hard to make occasions such as this enjoyable for everyone. But most of all, I thank you all for visiting me and making today very special, very enjoyable. I hope you will leave this afternoon with many happy memories.
Go raibh maith agaibh.