REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE UN PEACEKEEPING CEREMONY CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE, LOURDES
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE UN PEACEKEEPING CEREMONY CHURCH OF ST BERNADETTE, LOURDES SATURDAY, 24 MAY 2008
One of the Presidential functions laid down in the Constitution is that of supreme command of the Defence Forces. It is a role to which I attach great importance professionally, of course, but also, deeply personally. I am eternally conscious of the debt of honour and gratitude that we owe those who have dedicated their lives to assuring our security, that of our state, and the security of many vulnerable people in conflict zones around the world where they have distinguished themselves time and again on service with the United Nations. So it is a particular pleasure to serve as President during this golden jubilee of our Defence Forces’ service with the United Nations which has seen our troops deployed to great effect in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Central America.
How fortunate we were to see a devastated Europe turn a new and peaceful page in her bloody history with the great peace project that is the European Union, a project that has greatly stabilised our continent and brought liberating hope to its half a billion citizens, among them many who were still unfree even a couple of decades ago. This changed Europe has become a beacon of hope throughout the world, for ours is still a deeply troubled globe and far from being healed. The need for humanitarian help, for protection and safety from conflict - these needs continue apace and our Defence Forces, through their active, passionate commitment to the United Nations have been part of the global response to the cries of the fearful. You have operated in some of the most inhospitable and difficult environments in the world. You have operated in the name of a militarily neutral country which has never shied away from its responsibility to secure peace in the trouble-stricken regions of the world. Long before Ireland was known for her enthusiastic contribution to the European Union, long before the Celtic Tiger economy had the world looking at Ireland through a very different lens, it was the work of our Defence Forces, like our missionaries, which put Ireland on the international map and earned for us a reputation for first-class professionalism allied to a value system of profound respect for the dignity of every human being.
The establishment of this legendary reputation, as we are keenly conscious at a gathering of old comrades such as this, did not come without a price. As we look about us this evening, we remember with sadness and pride those comrades-in-arms who are no longer with us, and in particular those who gave their lives so that others could live in peace and safety. Your training, your equipment and your professionalism do much to mitigate the risks attached to your work, but ultimately, as every family member knows, the risk is only ever mitigated; it is never eliminated. There is a toll taken on our military families and their loved ones with each deployment in support of the UN. To them we also owe a debt of gratitude for their resilience, patience and forbearance and their support for one another which makes the unbearable, bearable.
As we continue our participation in the military pilgrimage, we form the latest part of a long, proud tradition of Irish pilgrims. The French and German troops who came here after the Second World War, came not as winners and losers, not as enemies, but as fragile, brotherly humanity, appalled by the blight of war and praying for a world that would see its wastefulness, its intrinsic evil, so clearly that never again would nations sacrifice their youth on the altar of power and greed. They came here very simply to pray together in their brokenness, to pray for the gift of peace. In many parts of the world our Defence Forces have been the answer to prayers for help and for peace of heart and mind. We gather again to offer thanks that in our time peace has come at last to our own land and to hope that the prayers of all those still living with bitter enmity and violence will bring forward a day of reconciliation such as we now are privileged to enjoy.