ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A CIVIC RECEPTION IN NAVAN
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A CIVIC RECEPTION IN NAVAN, CO.MEATH ON TUESDAY 28 APRIL, 1998
I would like to thank you, Chairman, for your warm words of official welcome to County Meath – a County which has a special significance for me – because it was my home for many years – when I fortunate to live just down the road in Dunshaughlin. I am very grateful for the warm welcome which I have been given here today – and which has been reflected in the venues I visited earlier – when I launched the Senior Help Line at Summerhill – when I visited Kells Education Centre – and when I opened the new playground and Sensory Integration Room at St. Mary’s Special School, in Athlumney here in Navan.
For me though, Meath is not just a former home. Like everybody in Ireland – Meath for me represents a link with the ancient Ireland – and Ireland with a unique and rich civilisation – an Ireland that made a great impact on the world. Thankfully, much of that past is still to be seen in places like Tara – where, as Tomas Moore put it
“The harp that once through Tara’s Halls,
The soul of music shed,
Now hangs as mute on Tara’s walls
As if that soul were fled”
Places like Kells – or Ceannanas Mór - where I was earlier this afternoon – which is famous for the Book of Kells – perhaps the greatest symbol of the tremendous impact that the Irish monks had on the spread of Christianity throughout Europe – leaving a legacy of learning and faith that can be seen to this day - in places like the Western Isles of Scotland – where St. Colmcille founded the monastery of Iona - or as far away as Salzburg in Austria – where St. Fergal established the renowned Cathedral – and where the Irish saint is still revered and celebrated.
Other parts of Meath are also steeped in that history of the early Christian tradition – places like Slane or Donoughmore, or Castlekeeran. And there are many places which reflect the later age of Norman and British domination in Ireland – places which celebrate the rich architectural legacy and tradition that that era bestowed on Ireland - and Meath in particular. Places like Slane Castle – or Trim – on the edge of the Pale – and once the county town of Meath - with its magnificent Norman Castles and the Yellow Steeple.
But perhaps the greatest wonder in County Meath by far - is the remains of a civilisation that pre-dated Christianity – the passage graves of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth – places that to this day are steeped in mystery and awe – and to which scholars and tourists flock – to get a glimpse of the ancient order that once prevailed on this island – to wonder at the sheer magnitude and scale of the structures – and to try to imagine what life must have been like all those millennia ago.
When I leave here this afternoon – I will be visiting Dalgan Park – a place which symbolises the new era of missionary work – and represents a link with the older Meath – from which many early Christian missionaries left to carry the message of Christianity across Europe. Today, Meath is a progressive and a modern County – a County that excels in sport – with a formidable and dedicated football team – and one which has been the bane of many an aspiring all-Ireland winner over the years! With some of the richest agricultural land in the country – and with modern industries successfully competing on the international stage – County Meath is well placed to continue to thrive and prosper. You have a unique landscape – a unique history – a unique heritage - and a unique people.
I want to thank you again for receiving me today - and I want to pay tribute to the Chairman and members of the Council – and to the County manager and his hard-working staff – for making Meath the successful county that it is today.