PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE VISITS DARNDALE ON FRIDAY 13TH MARCH, 1998
PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE VISITS DARNDALE ON FRIDAY 13TH MARCH, 1998
The President, Mary McAleese, this morning visited Darndale in Dublin and met with various local groups, including representatives of Thread, and the Darndale Tenant’s and Residents Association. The President was conducted on a tour of the area, visiting the Job’s Initiative Office, Fred’s Fashions – the local Vincent De Paul Shop staffed by voluntary workers – the Junior and Senior schools, the Resource Centre, the Community Training Workshop and the Youth Services Centre.
During her visit the President said that she welcomed the opportunity to see and hear at first hand just what has been achieved by the people of Darndale, and that as a city person herself she had an appreciation of the type of problems that they face - of their environment and of the everyday pressures that life can put on individuals, families and communities. She spoke of the value of the community in dealing with these pressures and she commended the people of Darndale for their great achievements in meeting the challenge, and in harnessing community effort to change the area into a place of which they could be proud. She said that her visit was to give recognition to what they had achieved.
The President recalled her recent visit to Hardwicke Street in the City last week and reiterated her view that simply to drive out the wrong-doers to another community didn’t really solve anything – that they have to change their behaviour, not just their address. She said that the next major challenge was to address those who have inflicted such hurt and misery, to get them to mend their ways.
Speaking of hopes for the future, the President stressed the organic nature of communities and said that new challenges would have to be met, but that the people of Darndale had met and overcome challenges before – that challenges and obstacles were the catalyst for bringing the community together. Darndale was an inspiration to other communities who face similar problems, to transform their communities.
ENDS