Speech by President Mary McALEESE On the occasion of her attendance at a function in Roscrea
Speech by President Mary McALEESE On the occasion of her attendance at a function in Roscrea Credit Union’s Offices Main Street
I am delighted to be here with you in Roscrea today. Since I arrived, I have visited the Town Centre where I was honoured with a military guard of honour - and then I opened the new Palliative Care Unit at Dean Maxwell Home. This afternoon I will visit St. Anne's Centre for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities followed by a visit to St. Cronan's Training Centre for Adults with Disabilities and finally I will meet community development groups at the Community Resource Centre before returning to Dublin.
I would like to pay tribute to Roscrea Credit Union and indeed the credit union movement in general. The credit union movement in this country has a long and proud history based on the principles of self-help and mutual
co-operation. Throughout Ireland there are now more than 400 registered credit unions catering for the needs of communities. I was interested to learn that your credit union celebrated its 30th anniversary last year at which time these fine premises were opened. With a membership of 6,500 having increased its membership by half over the past three years, Roscrea Credit Union has clearly earned for itself the respect and trust of the people of Roscrea for the manner in which it has served the community over the last thirty years. It is important on occasions such as this to give due recognition to the countless voluntary workers who have worked so hard over the years to make your Credit Union the success story that it is today.
I was impressed to see that each year Roscrea Credit Union has joined with the voluntary community publication Roscrea People in honouring individuals and organisations for their outstanding service and commitment to their community through the People of the Year Awards. I know that some of the recipients of this award through the years are here today and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on receiving the award and to commend you on your achievement which has meant so much to your local community and has been recognised as such.
It is to their credit that Credit Unions are continually evolving in order to keep pace with modern developments by providing a range of new services as sophisticated as those on offer commercially and must be congratulated for embracing these changes. While encouraging these changes we should always seek to preserve the philosophy and spirit of the credit union movement. There are many challenges ahead with the forthcoming introduction of the Euro and the technological impact of the approaching millennium. It is essential that all credit unions continue the learning process not only by keeping up to date with development in the movement, but in ensuring that they operate to the highest standards. I am sure that credit unions such as your own will continue to meet the demands made of it.
I would like to finish by thanking you for inviting me to be with you here today. I would like to congratulate everyone associated with Roscrea Credit Union for your success over the past thirty years and I wish you continued success in the years ahead.
Thank You