Remarks at The Fahy Club
Buenos Aires, 13th October 2012
Damas y Caballeros,
Deseo agradecerles la muy amable invitación que nos han extendido a Sabina y a mí para que nos unamos hoy a ustedes en el Club Fahy.
[Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you for the very kind invitation that you have extended to Sabina and myself to join you today at the Fahy Club. ]
Fr. Anthony Dominic Fahy, to whom this club owes its name, was an extraordinary man. Through the force of his personality and his devotion to fellow Irish arrivals here in Argentina, he provided leadership and example to the Argentine-Irish community. He tended to both the spiritual and physical needs of his compatriots, found work for the newly arrived, provided aid and assistance for the poor and the infirm and even managed to find time to perform the role of matchmaker within the Irish community.
In his own words he was “consul, postmaster, judge, pastor, artist and provider of labour for all of these people.”
Fr. Fahey was also a very compassionate man whose first thoughts were directed to the needs of the less fortunate. While fully committed to assisting his immediate community in Argentina, his sense of solidarity with the victims of the Great Famine back in Ireland led him to establish the Irish Relief Fund which raised over £400 in 1847. Towards the end of his life a group of Irish immigrants gave Fr. Fahy a cash gift so that he could buy his own house; he promptly gave the money to the Sisters of Mercy for their hospital and school.
The example of Fr Fahy’s service to his community was one that was followed by others. In particular, we celebrate the Argentine-Irish women who have played a significant role in the history of this Club, las Señoras de San José. Las Señoras, concerned about the well being of the children of the newly arrived immigrants, took it upon themselves to create an establishment which would provide for their educational needs. This Institute was named in the honour of Fr. Fahy, and the many thousands of students who subsequently passed through the doors left with an education which provided them with opportunities which they might not otherwise have had.
A group of Fahy alumni banded together to create the “Fahy Institute Former Pupils’ Association”, which was the precursor to the Fahy Club. Being very resourceful women, Las Señoras de San José also provided the funds which were used to purchase this building in which we are gathered today.
I would like to pay tribute to Las Señoras and to all in the Argentine-Irish community who established and managed this resource in the interests of the wider community. I am pleased that the Irish Government has been in a position to provide financial support towards this Club so as to place it on a strong footing for the future.
This premises is now also home to the Federation of Irish Argentine Societies which supports the coordination of Irish Argentine societies throughout the country. I was pleased to meet with the current President of the Federation, José Brendan Wallace and the other officers.
I know that José and his colleagues in Venado Tuerto are very busy in planning for the 41st Encuentro Nacional Argentino Irlandés which will take place there on 3 November, the third time that Venado Tuerto will host this important annual gathering for the Argentine-Irish. This umbrella organisation is uniquely placed to support the Irish societies located here in Argentina and its advisory role has helped many of these groups to develop.
While in the office of the Federation, I admired the many photographs and plaques on the wall, documenting the rich historical past of the various Irish-Argentine societies. With the support and energies of the Federation, I am sure that the future of these societies will be equally rich and fruitful.
Gatherings organised by the Fahy Club have long played an important role in the Argentine-Irish community in Buenos Aires. I know from talking to some of you that it was as members of sports teams organised by the Former Pupil’s Association that some of your longest and best friendships were formed. It was at dances organised by the Fahy Club on these premises that some of you met your partner in life. The Fahy Club is where Irish culture, music and dance are given an opportunity to shine, to grow and to be transmitted to the next generation. I congratulate the Club President, Luis Delaney and all the officers of the Club for the excellent resource you provide here.
Argentina and Ireland are separated by many kilometres but when you meet here in this Club it resembles a little corner of County Westmeath or County Longford from which most of your ancestors came. The Irish community in Argentina number approximately half a million people and are an important and cherished part of the Irish diaspora.
The word diaspora means to scatter plentifully. Where there is a scattering, there should also be a gathering. In Ireland, we are organising a year-long Gathering in 2013 during which there will be hundreds of events around the country aimed at attracting visitors from across the Irish diaspora.
Este Club constituye una pequeña parte de Irlanda en Argentina y me siento particularmente honrado de ser el primer Presidente de Irlanda en visitarlo. Mucho agradezco vuestra invitación y, a la recíproca, les hago llegar una invitación a ustedes, sus familiares y amigos para que participen del Encuentro en Irlanda en el año 2013. Si desearan más detalles, estoy seguro que el Embajador McIntyre y la Embajada tendrán sumo gusto en proporcionárselos.
[This Club is a small part of Ireland in Argentina and I am particularly honoured to be the first President of Ireland to visit it. I am very grateful for your invitation to visit and, in return, extend an invitation to you, your family and your friends to be part of the Gathering in Ireland in 2013. If you want more details, I am sure that Ambassador McIntyre and the Embassy would be happy to assist you.]
Thank you, Go raibh míle maith agaibh y muchisimas gracias for the warm welcome that Sabina and I have received today!