Remarks at a Garden Party Celebrating Family
Áras An Uachtaráin, 1st July 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen and boys and girls, on behalf of Sabina and myself I would like to welcome you all here this afternoon to what is our first ever garden party in Áras an Uachtaráin.
Tá súil agam go bhfuil sibh ag baint taitneamh agus tairbhe as an ceol agus amhránaíocht den scoth mar aon leis an mbia blasta ag an cóisir gairdine álainn seo inniu.
[I hope you have all been having a good time and enjoying the garden which is looking wonderful, the superb entertainment and the delicious food].
The theme of today’s party is ‘family’ and it is marvellous to have the opportunity to welcome so many families to Áras an Uachtaráin; families who have travelled from all over Ireland to be here today and who are filling this big house, this elegant marquee
(I am not allowed to call it a tent) and these lovely gardens with fun and laughter and enjoyment.
Families and friends are important for all of us, we all need people who care about us unconditionally, who accept us with all our faults and failings, and who we know we can count on no matter what happens in our lives. We also know, of course, that life is never perfect; all of us have experienced the normal day to day differences and disagreements; the feeling sometimes that our families or our close friends are a bit too free with their criticism; a bit too slow with the positive feedback; or a bit too ready to tell us how to live our lives better. But, at the same time, I am sure none of you here today would choose to be without your family or close friends, or would prefer to travel through life alone and without the support and love and concern that goes with all the suggestions, even the ones that are not always welcome.
So I would like to thank you all for coming here today to celebrate family life and friendship in all its diversity and all its contemporary forms. I am conscious that, for many families in Ireland, times are difficult at the moment. Many people have had to say good bye to sons or daughters or brothers or sisters who have travelled overseas in search of employment and better career options.
However, no matter how far people travel, in miles or success or experience, they will always be a part of their family and their family will always be a part of them.
The writer John McGahern once wrote that Ireland was composed of countless independent republics – they were called families. He was trying to convey – in a critical sense – that families can often be inward-looking and closed to the outside world.
That’s not a very uplifting vision of family and it certainly does not have to be the reality. Being part of a good family should not mean turning your back on the community.
On the contrary, being fortunate enough to be part of a loving and mutually supportive family should actually give us the values and the confidence to actively participate in the wider community.
We don’t have to make false choices between family and community; they are both sides of the one coin – a coinage of human solidarity and inter-dependency. So it is very appropriate that we collectively come together as families to celebrate family day in the Áras.
This weekend is, of course, always a special one in the lives of many families around the country, and one which also awakens happy memories in those who are no longer children; because this is the weekend that marks the beginning of the school holidays and that is one of the main reasons that all the children here today are smiling so much. It is a time when many people look forward to spending more time with their families – to going off on holidays or enjoying day trips to the park or the beach or the zoo and to creating more wonderful memories to add to the family album of precious moments and special days together that always sustain us in less sunny times.
Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh taitneamh agus tairbhe as an samhradh seo le bhur gclanna, go mbeidh spraoi agus sport agaibh agus go gcruthófar cuimhní cinn a bheidh agaibh go deo na ndeor.
[I wish you all a wonderful Summer with your families, a time of fun and enjoyment and the continued creation of happy memories that will remain with you throughout your lives].
I certainly hope that today will become one of those special memories and I would like to conclude by thanking all those who have worked so hard on behalf of the Áras to make this a wonderful occasion for you. A big thank you to our MC, Diana Bunici, and also to Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, the Camembert Quartet, the Keltic Kats and Hip Nos for the music and dance they have been entertaining you with, and to Stagecraft for providing such talented and inventive face painters.
You all have been keeping our guests entertained throughout the day and have enhanced their visit here with your verve, talent and enthusiasm. Sabina and I are looking forward to seeing you perform in a few moments.
A big thank you, also, to the staff here at the Áras, to our friends in St John’s Ambulance Brigade, the Civil Defence, the Gardaí, the tour guides and all who have worked so hard to make today an occasion of friendship and joy.
Sabina and I hope you have a great afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your time here and thank you for coming.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.