REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE RECEPTION FOR CHURCH VOLUNTEERS ÁRAS AN UACHTARAIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE RECEPTION FOR CHURCH VOLUNTEERS ÁRAS AN UACHTARAIN TUESDAY, 14TH DECEMBER 1999
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin.
Firstly let me say how delighted I am to welcome each and every one of you to the Áras. We have people here today from every part of this island, North and South, representing the different strands that make up the rich tapestry of Christian tradition in Ireland. It is a particular joy to welcome all of you at this time of year, as we approach the great festival of Christmas – and this year, of course, is an even more special occasion as we celebrate 2000 years since the birth of the Child of Bethlehem. That Great Jubilee invites us to listen anew to the message that Child brought to each of us: to love one another, to value what we share as part of that great Christian tradition, and to be joyfully curious about each other’s differences. Here on this island, as we know all too well, we have not always succeeded in doing that. But the Great Jubilee offers us an opportunity of a fresh start, and in coming together today, all of us are part of that new beginning.
This day is my opportunity to say thank you to all of you. For you are the ones who behind the scenes, do all those jobs that we sometimes take for granted, because you do them so well. But it wouldn’t take long for us to notice if they weren’t done – if the Church wasn’t cleaned, if there were no flowers, no music, no readers or collectors, nobody to provide a helping hand wherever it is needed. Your work is what makes the Church a warm and welcoming place, a place of community. And your work is in itself a form of prayer, of praise. We very much appreciate and value all that hard work, the way you give of your time with such generosity, year in, year out. So a warm, heartfelt thank you to all of you for that.
This is a day for enjoyment and relaxation, and it has been made all the more special by the wonderful Lucan Gospel Singers who sang for us in the Front Hall. Here in this room, I am delighted to welcome our trio of Ben Cashel on cello; Anna Cashel on violin; and Stuart O’Sullivan on piano. I would like to thank all of them for entertaining us so well.
You are all very welcome to have a look around the formal rooms in this house. For while this is my home, it is much more than that. It is also a place which symbolises the history of this island. It is a house for all the traditions and cultures on this island to share, and today, I am delighted to be able to share it with you.
I would like to thank all of the individuals from the various Churches who helped to make this day possible. I hope that you will very much enjoy this get-together and that you take this opportunity to see a few old faces as well as make a few new friends. Thank you all once again for coming.
Tá súil agam go mbainfaidh sibh go léir taitneamh as an lá. Go raibh maith agaibh.