REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO ST. LOUIS GRAMMAR SCHOOL
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO ST. LOUIS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, KILKEEL ON TUESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER, 1999
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu ag an ócáid speisialta seo. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an chuireadh agus as fáilte a bhí caoin, cneasta agus croiúil.
I am delighted to be here with you again in St. Louis Grammar School so near to my own home in Rostrevor. I was guest speaker at a prize-giving ceremony here once before about 7 years ago, but little did I know then that I’d be back speaking to you as President. I’d like to thank Sr. Una for the warm welcome and also a special thanks to Dr. Celestine Devlin for inviting me back to speak to you all on this very special day.
It is always a great pleasure for me to participate in ceremonies such as this which recognise and reward the efforts of young people. Such occasions are not simply for you as recipients, but are very proud moments for your teachers, families and friends whose support and encouragement has been so vital in enabling youto achieve your full potential. I myself was particularly fortunate during my school years to have a supportive family and a caring and sensitive teacher who helped me through often difficult times, gave me the self-belief to make the most of future opportunities. I still remember with a deep sense of gratitude how encouraging and uplifting those words of praise were - how they inspired self-confidence at a crucial time in my life.
I know that you, also, have had the benefit of many wonderful teachers here at St. Louis. I would like to take this opportunity to commend all of them. Theirs is an onerous task – a ‘mission’ to nurture the minds of people at their most impressionable age – to unlock hidden talents and open new doors for students. They have done a wonderful job.
Most of you here today will be looking toward the future and will naturally concentrate on your own individual ‘map’ of life. Some of you will have already entered the labour market for the first time. Others will go on to further education. Whichever path you choose, you are starting on a journey that will take you to unforeseen destinations. The story of the rest of your life is still unwritten, full of incredible promise, and your time here at St. Louis has provided the building blocks and skills, academically but also socially and spiritually, to make that journey a deeply rewarding one.
That guiding ethos of St Louis – the ethos of developing people as rounded and mature individuals - is evident in the awards which will be presented here today. They cover not only prizes for best achievement, but also for Community Service, Charitable Causes, Religious Education, Communications Innovation, Business Studies, Sport and Enterprise. I know that you have also achieved great success in reaching the All Ireland Schools Irish Drama Competition four years in a row, and being part of the Down team which won this year’s Minor Final. Impressive stuff!
There is no doubt but that your achievements owe much to the very successful partnership between the school and parents which has helped to nurture within each of you a sense of respect for one another and a sense of understanding of different traditions – values which are particularly important here in Northern Ireland as we stand at the threshold of a new political future for this society.
And as you also embark on the next phase of your lives, I know that you will do so with an open mind, and in the knowledge that this society, its future, its values, its priorities will be what you make them, collectively and individually. The future is in good hands – your hands – and I know that your experience here at St Louis will inspire you to bring all your vision and energy to bear in creating a bright and peaceful future for Northern Ireland.
St. Louis Grammar School has been the stepping stone for so many people into the world – a place where they have been armed with the knowledge and interest in education to let them go on to great things – to play their full part in society – and to make successful lives wherever they have gone in the world. I have no doubt but that this new crop of students will uphold that great tradition.
I congratulate those who will be taking home certificates and prizes today, and to wish all of you success in your future careers. Today is a day when you can be proud of yourselves, proud of your school.
You have every reason to be.
Go maire sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.