REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO THE DE VALERA MUSEUM
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO THE DE VALERA MUSEUM AND BRUREE HERITAGE CENTRE
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte chaoin.
I have great pleasure in joining you here today to visit the De Valera Museum and Bruree Heritage Centre. It is indeed appropriate that the museum which celebrates the life and achievements of Bruree’s most famous son, should have been housed in the schoolhouse where Eamon De Valera went to school.
The wonderful collection which I have just had the pleasure of seeing gives a greater understanding of this famed freedom fighter, politician, statesman and President of Ireland and highlights the indelible mark which he made on Irish and world history. He did not live to see today's Ireland with its economic success and cultural confidence completely at home on the European and world stage. He would no doubt be both proud of this dynamic country and amazed by the rapid pace of change.
Yet we should not assume that there is a complete disjuncture between the Ireland that de Valera influenced so profoundly, and the Ireland of today. In some ways it can be argued that we have achieved many of his goals, but by a different route. We have learned that ‘small can be beautiful’ and that this concept is not incompatible with being successful on the world stage. Indeed this website that I am launching here today is proof of the happy marriage that can take place between old and new: respecting and preserving the past with the help of modern technology.
We have not lost the sense of community that marks us as a people and which de Valera struggled so hard to foster. Time and again I have witnessed throughout the country, the vibrancy and energy of local community groups, who have taken charge of their own development and destiny with a sense of pride and determination of which, I am sure, Eamon de Valera, would have strongly approved.
We have rediscovered in recent years a new sense of pride in our unique culture, music, dance and folklore, which far from being at odds with modern economic development, has helped generate the self- confidence and self-respect which fuels our current economic prosperity. It is true that affluence always holds the danger of complacency and selfishness. It is a danger we must constantly be aware of and ward off, for if we lose that sense of solidarity, we will lose something very precious at the core of our identity – a spirit of community which de Valera valued so highly and fought so hard to safeguard.
Groups such as the Bruree-Rockhill Association are living proof that we are far from reaching that point. I would like to warmly commend the local people of this area, and especially the members of the Association – your Chairman, Sonny Ward; Honorary Secretary, John Harrold; and Honorary Curator, Mainchín Seoighe – for all your hard work, energy and commitment. You have created a wonderful tribute to Eamon de Valera and a living record of the rich history and culture of the Bruree area for visitors and future generations alike in this Museum and Heritage Centre.
I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Trustees of the West Limerick Fianna Fáil Cheanntair who acquired the cottage in which de Valera lived for many years from its former owner, Martin Meagher, and generously transferred it to the State in 1981. The cottage, which is maintained by Dúchas, our Heritage Service, is not only an important part of the nation’s heritage, but provides a fascinating interest into the social, cultural and economic life of Ireland in bye-gone days.
It is of course my great privilege to live in another house associated so closely with Eamon de Valera - Áras an Uachtaráin. His life and times are part of the story of that house, part of the story of twentieth century Ireland, part of the forces which shaped your life and mine. It is essential that we carefully preserve that heritage for in it and through it, we come to know ourselves better, understand our own complexities and come to map the road ahead. It is not possible to do these things without knowing Eamon de Valera - the man, his life, his vision, his times. He would have been fascinated by this technology and no doubt with his great mathematical genius, he would have been a webmaster, had he lived to see it. He would be thrilled to be remembered in this - the pathway of the future.
I would like to congratulate and commend the Association on your insight and forward-thinking in getting this website off the ground. It will promote the many attractions of Bruree throughout the world, and I am delighted to launch it here today.
Mo bhuíochas libh arís as an chaoin-chuireadh a thug sibh dom bheith anseo libh inniu. Chuir sibh fáilte romhaim a bhí fial, fairsing agus fíor-Ghaelach. Guím gach rath agus séan ar bhur gcuid oibre san am atá le teacht.