REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO BUNCRANA COMMUNITY LEISURE CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO BUNCRANA COMMUNITY LEISURE CENTRE ON MONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER, 1998
My last visit here was in the wake of the tragedy at Omagh when your community was devastated by the tragic loss of three of your children, Sean McLoughlin, Oran Doherty and James Baker together with two Spanish visitors to the town and serious injuries suffered by others. I hope and pray that the passing of time will eventually heal the terrible hurt caused at that time.
I am very grateful to you for inviting me to visit your Community Leisure Centre and for giving me the opportunity to meet with you again. I am sorry that Sister Patrick Alexander is not with us today - a woman who meant so much and contributed so much to this community but I am honoured to have been asked to unveil a commemorative plaque to her today.
Looking around at this leisure complex, I have to say that I am most impressed by the excellent facilities provided for the people of Buncrana and surrounding areas. It is a fine community facility which caters for all age groups and as a mother myself, I am very conscious of how important it is for young people to have a place where they can go to develop their sporting skills - and to have a place to make and meet with friends in safe and pleasant surroundings.
It is encouraging that, despite the dramatic and often traumatic changes in our lifestyles in recent times and the impact which they can have bring to our traditional values, the basic sense of community co-operation and neighbourliness is alive and well here in Buncrana, and indeed in many other areas of our country. Indeed this was demonstrated so forcefully when we gathered for the funerals of those whose lives were taken so tragically in Omagh.
It augurs well for the future of this Centre and indeed Buncrana itself when we see what you, as a community, have achieved here since 1989, when the Centre first opened. We have a long and proud tradition of voluntary and community enterprise and development in this county. Thankfully, our communities have always demonstrated a spirit of self-help and a willingness to contribute to the development of local social cultural and economic life. The most common feature of community development is the energy and enthusiasm of individuals working tirelessly – people motivated by a genuine concern for the good of everyone, rather than self interest - people such as Sr. Patrick.
In coming here today, I am very conscious of the concern felt by many people in this community awaiting news of developments at the Fruit of the Loom plant. I am aware of the level of hard work and commitment at political level to securing the best possible outcome for the workers there – and I hope and pray for a positive outcome.
I would like to finish by thanking you all for your warm welcome for me today. I commend you for your hard work in providing such a wonderful Centre which I know is fully utilised at present. I wish you well in your plans for the future development of the Centre.
Thank you.