Speeches
Remarks by President McAleese at the Graduation Ceremony for Students of the B.A. (Hons) Visual Arts Programme, Sherkin Island, Co. Cork, 19th April 2010
Dia dhíbh a chairde, I am delighted and honoured to join this unique, historic graduation ceremony for students of the B.A. Visual Arts programme. Thanks to Daniel Reilly of the Sherkin Island Development Society, the Dublin Institute of Technology and the West Cork Arts Centre for inviting me. We gather on this one day knowing that it is the culmination of over ten years of careful planning and pilot projects and that it marks something quite remarkable and wonderful – the successful delivery of a fully accredited degree programme on an island. There is blood, sweat and tears embedded in this day and I warmly congratulate all those whose determination turned an ambitious idea into a successful reality.William Butler Yeats once said "that education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire". The B.A. programme on Sherkin Island has lit a spark of learning that has spread well beyond the students enrolled on the course and that will no doubt continue to blaze long after today's graduation ceremony is over. For many years, the youngest inhabitants have had to leave communities like this one in order to gain a third level education and life-long learning and continuing adult education was in scarce supply on the island. Now, through the development of the B.A. in Visual Arts, a bridge has been built between the local community and the higher education sector and we are seeing in a very real way that geographic location is no real barrier to access to education.
In addition to the educational opportunities provided by the degree programme, other benefits are accruing to the people of Sherkin as a result of the delivery of the course here. It is fortuitous that the academic year runs through the off-peak tourist period and so the delivery of the programme brings a welcome boost to the island's economy during the months when visitors are scarce. As well as supporting local businesses, I am told that the numerous social gatherings associated with the programme have greatly enlivened winter evenings on the island.
The B.A. in Visual Arts programme is distinguished from other degree programmes by its emphasis on forging a learning environment in which the living patterns and knowledge base of a community are respected and included. The relationship between student and teacher is not a one-way street; rather the students' life experiences as part of this unique community feed into the course curriculum and enable today's graduates to say without doubt they hold a truly unique degree. The programme is rooted in partnership and community engagement and the close involvement of the three partners – the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Sherkin Island Development Society and the West Cork Arts Centre – has contributed hugely to its standing on both a national and international level. Programmes such as this are pivotal in fostering a capacity among rural communities to develop and improve their social, cultural and economic circumstances from the bottom up – allowing a local voice to be heard far beyond its geographic catchment.
There were immense challenges involved in delivering this degree programme to a small island off the coast of West Cork, far from traditional lecture halls and city-based higher education establishments. But nobody let those things get in the way. Instead they got creative and innovative using a range of modalities – from distance, online and remote learning to live and virtual contact, aided by new technologies and good old-fashioned good teaching and of course good students. Not surprisingly the B.A. in Visual Arts programme has attracted international interest. I understand that alliances have been formed with an impressive range of higher education institutions, including Universities in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Finland. As a result, Sherkin Island is now linked to an exciting and vibrant European network.
The commitment, skill, experience and enthusiasm of the academic staff at the Dublin Institute of Technology made this programme possible. A special word of congratulations to Mr. Brian Fay, Head of the Department of Fine Art and Design who has been so central to both the development and running of this course. I also thank Bernadette Burns, the Programme Coordinator, whose vision, commitment and skill as an educator and artist have also been central to the success of the programme.
Partnership has been important too – for the whole community on Sherkin Island has engaged with this initiative with great enthusiasm. In particular, Daniel Reilly, Chair of Sherkin Island Development Society and Majella O'Neill-Collins, renowned local artist and educator, have worked unstintingly to ensure that the B.A. in Visual Arts has both a strong foundation and a sustainable future. Ann Davoren, Director of the West Cork Arts Centre, played a key role and she has ensured that students see their education in the broader context of a nationally established centre for art. This provides the students with an opportunity to contribute to exhibitions, participate in talks, critique shows, meet artists and curators in the vibrant professional environment that is invaluable for an artist.
But even the best partnership, technology and team would have been confounded and consigned to failure if the students had not turned up, signed up and stepped up. They took on the studies, the support of one another, for the long haul and they stuck with it through illnesses, family commitments and crises and all the demands that make it easier to give up than to keep on going. Without the students and their reaching of the finishing line, we would not have this lovely day of celebration. This is their graduation day and they rightly take centre stage. We are all incredibly proud of them, as is their community and their families. They have opened doors for themselves and those doors will not close behind them but will open a pathway for others to follow. May the fire lit inside each one – of intellectual curiosity and passion for the arts, never be extinguished but burn brighter and brighter by their efforts. May it light up Sherkin like a new generator! I would like to congratulate you on your success and achievement to date and wish you all every success in your future work.
