Speech at the Irish Community Monthly Mass
Gaelic Park, Chicago, 11th May 2014
A dhaoine uaisle, a chairde.
Tá an-áthas orainn bheith anseo libh inniu i bPáirc na nGael.
Ba mhaith liom buíochas ó chroí a ghabháil libh as ucht na fíorchaoin fáilte a d’fhear sibh romham.
Sabina and I are delighted to have this opportunity to join you all here today, and would like to thank John Devitt and the Board of Directors for their kind invitation to share in your monthly community Mass. May I also thank Marian Ryan for her kind words, as well as Fr. Michael Leonard for that special Mass and very inspiring reflection.
Mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, as President of Ireland, it is a particular pleasure to be here in this splendid Gaelic Park complex which is, I know renowned as a flagship centre for the US GAA. We were delighted to be greeted on arrival by a wonderful Guard of Honour that was very typically Irish, made up of young dancers, hurlers and footballers. Míle bhuíochas daoibh as an ónóir sin agus tréaslaím libh uilig.
Irish Americans are one of the largest communities in Chicago, and all of us in Ireland should be deeply grateful to the great commitment shown by our emigrants, over many decades, to keeping our culture and heritage alive and central in this great city.
And, of course, it is very hard to discuss Irish culture and history without acknowledging the central role that Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, the GAA, has played in Irish life for so many years, in terms of language, heritage and identity. Indeed the GAA is now so closely intertwined with Irish society that it is almost impossible to imagine a time when it did not form the beating heart of communities across Ireland, connecting neighbour to neighbour, promoting intergenerational solidarity among young and old and uniting a diverse and eclectic mix of people as they cheer together for their county or club colours. On occasion our Gaelic Games have also been known to cause a modicum of rivalry!
That reach and inclusivity is a generous and all-encompassing one that stretches far beyond Ireland’s shores. Today there are GAA clubs in every continent across the globe, with over 2,600 official clubs in existence. Many of you who are here this morning will remember the welcome sense of home and continuity you received from the GAA in Chicago as you may have battled with homesickness, with a sense of separation or loss, a sense of displacement and the many other issues and emotions involved in emigrating and creating a new home in a new destination distanced from family and friends.
In Ireland we, in turn, find it reassuring to know that so many of our diaspora retain their love of GAA sports, with all their connections, and their enthusiasm for supporting their county team and, finding within that enthusiasm an indelible link to home, parish, village and town, and a means to connect with other members of our diaspora wherever in the world they may be. The question as to origins, where you might be from, is adequately summed up in the question ‘who do you shout for?’
I had the great pleasure, recently, of welcoming the South African GAA team to Áras an Úachtaráin, my home as President of Ireland, and it was a real pleasure to hear of all they have achieved since their establishment four years ago. It was yet another reminder of how Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, the GAA, connects us so profoundly to a diversity of communities around the world.
For thirty years now, Chicago’s Gaelic Park has been providing a venue which enables active cultural participation in Irish Chicago. The role it plays in connecting our Chicago diaspora with their Irish sporting and cultural roots is one for which I sincerely commend you. Tréaslaím libh. Here not just recent migrants, but also those of Irish descent receive a great opportunity to continue to play the great games of Gaelic football, camogie and hurling, sports which are such an important part of our cultural identity. I welcome the news that other nationalities and new enthusiasts are also made so welcome to participate in our national sports.
I have been greatly uplifted to see, and indeed sense, here this morning, how the role of Gaelic Park in the Chicago Irish community so clearly echoes the role of GAA clubs at home in Ireland. The GAA is not, and never has been, just a sporting organisation. It is an association that has woven itself, not just into the history of Irish towns and villages and the annals of many family lives, but also into our national psyche and sense of place. The GAA embodies a spectrum of aspirations and values – pride in town and county, in school and college, commitment, competitiveness, co-operation and teamwork, and a great spirit of community that lies right at the heart of our shared Irishness.
I have no doubt that Gaelic Park is, in the most fundamental sense of the word, a ‘community’, providing as it does a focal point for all those who remain proud of their Irish heritage and traditions. It is also a shelter for those who are at risk because of their undocumented status, a subject I have raised in my meetings with those who may have influence. And I continue to hope for a resolution to that issue that causes so much dismay and is an impediment to full participation in the society to which you are contributing.
I know that Irish communities here, as everywhere, are no longer the homogenous entities that they were in generations gone by. Irish people are now represented in all walks of life in Chicago; they live in many different parts of the city and are dynamic and pro-active citizens, proud of their Irish roots but equally proud of this dynamic and vibrant city which they now call home.
Is turas iontach atá déanta ag an bpobal Gael-Mheiriceánach i Chicago, agus is beag grúpa a raibh ról chomh suntasach acu i dtógáil agus i bhforbairt chathair nua-aoiseach Chicago. Sa lá atá inniu ann is cuid lárnach de Chicago iad ár n-eisimircigh , nó a gclanna nó a ngarchlanna, agus tá a gcion tairbhe suaithinseach agus luachmhar déanta acu dá láithreacha oibre, dá bpobail agus dá sochaí.
[The journey of the Irish-American community in Chicago has been a remarkable one, and few groups have played as significant a role in the building and development of modern Chicago. Today many of our emigrants, or their children or grandchildren, are an integral part of Chicago, making their own distinct and valuable contributions to their workplaces, their communities and their society.]
We are deeply grateful, therefore, for the efforts American citizens of Irish descent make to maintain the ties that bind them and to continue to reach out a hand of friendship and support to those who arrive here from Irish shores. We owe a special debt of gratitude to all those whose vision, dedication and hard work saw Gaelic Park progress from a great aspiration to a living reality.
What has been achieved here – the foundations of generosity, foresight, and community spirit on which Gaelic Park has been built – is truly remarkable. The establishment of Gaelic Park has been an inspirational chapter in the GAA story and a great symbol of the power of the GAA to reach out across oceans, boundaries and miles, bringing Irish people together in countries and cities around the world.
I know that there are people here today from every part of the island of Ireland. There are many others who have family roots back in Ireland. I thank each and every one of you for keeping the connection to Ireland alive, vibrant, and relevant.
I thank, in particular, all of those who have been involved with Gaelic Park in the three decades since its establishment – as volunteers, supporters, or active participants. It has been a great privilege to visit this venue today, and to be reminded of how fortunate we are in Ireland to have such a proud, dynamic and generous global family. I commend you for all you do to nurture and foster our great Irish heritage, and to share it with your new communities around the world.
Is iontach an obair atá as siúl agaibh anseo. Molaim go mór sibh as ucht an méid atá bainte amach agaibh. Go n-éirí go geal libh sa todhchaí agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.