REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE UNVEILING OF A PLAQUE TO HONOUR CLONAKILTY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE UNVEILING OF A PLAQUE TO HONOUR CLONAKILTY AS THE WINNERS OF THE NATIONAL TIDY TOWN’S
Tá áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu agus muid as céiliúradh an ócáid mhór seo. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur iúl daoibh as an cuireadh agus as fáilte a bhí caoin, cneasta agus croithíúil.
I am delighted to be with you today in Clonakilty to celebrate your fantastic achievement in winning the National Tidy Towns Competition last year. I very much appreciate the wonderful welcome you have given me.
I can only imagine the excitement when Clonakilty scooped the top award – its still apparent in the happiness, and justifiable pride that I see reflected in the faces of everybody here today. You are more than entitled to your day of glory! Winning didn’t happen by chance or coincidence but by sheer commitment. And it is that commitment over many many years which has given Clonakilty a proud new chapter in its history.
For three years in a row you won awards for Ireland’s tidiest small town. You saw each of those as a spur to do even better rather than an excuse to ease off the hard labour. You built on those awards, learnt from them, became more skilled, more imaginative, more determined and here you are overall winners with the remarkable distinction of having achieved the highest mark ever in the competition. Last year was certainly Cork’s year in so many ways from football to ploughing championships - Cork soared above all the rest so a national air of resignation and acceptance greeted the inevitable Clonakilty win.
Clonakilty’s win earns it respect and admiration. People will come here to see and admire the visible results of your labour and they are stunning but the respect you have earned goes deeper, much deeper. For the work and the success tells the story of a community, proud of its place, proud of its people, capable of fielding a team of workers and achievers second to none in the country. The people of Clonakilty know that it takes more than bricks and mortar to build a community out of a random collection of houses and human beings.
Community spirit is built and sustained by people of big hearts, generous with their time, their money, their skills, their enthusiasm, willing to work alongside others, to make themselves available, to put themselves out and still to believe passionately that lovely line from St. Francis prayer - that it is in giving we receive.
Clonakilty possesses that essential community spirit that enthusiasm and eagerness to pull together and pool resources, talent and energy in a selfless drive to work for the good of all the community. Your success last year, today and in the future depend on the work and dedication of many groups and individuals, including the Tidy Towns Committee, the local authorities, schools, commercial interests and the people of the town. The success of that partnership is clear to see. It is a formidable resource now at the heart of your community, a real source of empowerment and self-confidence. This big win and all the other wins have created a past legacy of environmental care and concern to be proud of and to hand on to a new generation.
The Tidy Towns Competition encourages everyone to accept responsibility for their town’s look and offers the real prize of deep, righteous pride in place and community. Children are organised to remove litter, the plant lovers amongst you labour at installing and maintaining the beautiful display of flowers, others go to the trouble of researching the most appropriate colour schemes for buildings, some fund-raise, some give support by a word of encouragement or a bit of money – the list is endless but every person’s contribution is essential because it adds up to the picture we see here today.
Behind all this buzzing activity are the driving forces of the movement – one or two people who never tire and who inspire others. In the case of Clonakilty, I want to single out two people for particular mention: The great enthusiasts - Seamas O’Brien and Billy Houlihan. They make it look easy but the look is a mask. The work is hard, relentless and the standard to be met are very high. Every team needs its enthusiasts who inspire belief in the team and the target. I know that their dedication to this community is greatly appreciated.
We are so lucky that Ireland is a treasure trove of unique and wonderful towns, villages and landscapes, among them Clonakilty. You start with certain advantages for nature gave Clonakilty a head start in the beauty stakes. Those wonderful natural advantages of coastal location and river have been complemented by the care of its people. Generations have recognised the potential of this town and developed it with each passing age. The construction of the many fine buildings that you have today is testament to this – the Georgian houses in Emmet Square, the churches and the Old Mill where the Celebration Plaque is placed.
It is one thing to inherit such buildings. What a community decides to do with these buildings is another matter. Clonakilty is an inspiration to communities everywhere in finding new and modern uses for treasured buildings. The former Presbyterian Church is your Post Office and an inspired piece of renovation and innovation at the Old Mill has given you your local library as well as chambers used by the Western Committee of Cork County Council. Knowing the track record of this community it won’t stop here and I look forward to seeing what will happen in years to come. You have a lot to be proud of and a lot to offer to Clonakilty’s future as a dream place to live in and to visit.
Congratulations to one and all again and continued success with the Tidy Town’s Competition.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.