Remarks at the Community Garden Party
Áras an Uachtaráin, 30th June 2013
Dia dhíbh a chairde, Sabina and I would like to welcome you and thank you all for coming to the Áras today – céad míle fáilte roimh gach duine atá anseo.
Tá súil agam go bhfuil sibh uilig ag baint taitnimh as bhur lá i ngairdíní Áras an Uachtaráin, is gairdíní atá ar a mbarr áilleachta an taca seo den bhliain de thoradh obair thiomanta na foirne garraíodóireachta. Tá freagairt iontach tugtha agaibh dár lucht siamsaíochta agus tá rogha gacha bídh réitithe daoibh ag foireann an Árais.
I hope that you are all enjoying your day in the gardens at Áras an Uachtaráin. The gardens which are looking at their very best at this time of year due to the dedicated work of the garden staff. You have given a great response to our entertainers and the staff here have produced excellent fare for you to enjoy.
Today we commence our garden party season, which is always a special time of the year in Áras and Uachtaráin, a time when Sabina and I get the opportunity to welcome families and communities to the Aras and to share with them this beautiful house and grounds.
As President of Ireland I am fortunate to receive many invitations to share in community events, anniversaries and celebrations throughout the country and I go to as many as I can. It is an opportunity to see the community spirit that exists in abundance in all parts of Ireland; to see the real pride of towns that have united in a concerted effort to enhance the place in which they live and enter and become winners of the Tidy Town Competition; the voluntary organisations that are helping our vulnerable citizens in so many ways; the schools which are celebrating significant anniversaries have woven themselves into the lives and histories of their communities and the families which attended them; the genuine care and compassion of dedicated staff in hospitals and care homes and their gift of imbuing such places with a sense of community and family.
The transformative power of communities working together is immense. Their combined strength in restoring, rejuvenating and re-imagining connections with communities – celebrating and retaining all that was best about their past whilst participating confidently in a modern and globalised world is so impressive.
This is, of course, a decade of important commemorations for us here in Ireland; a time when we remind ourselves of, and mark, some of the significant events which lead up to and brought about the formation of an Irish Free State. It is a time to remember that a knowledge of our history is intrinsic to the creation of active and responsible citizenship and to the building of communities and a society that are fair, inclusive and participative. This year we are celebrating the courage, endurance, and historical human rights significance of the Great Dublin Lockout of 1913.
If we are to flourish in the present and future we need to fully understand when and how things worked in the past. Drawing lessons from the past, we are empowered to critically understand how we are doing in the here and now – to resolve not to be constrained by familiar horizons, but to interrogate limiting assumptions and to push beyond the boundaries of our own comfort zones in order that our society can work better for all its people, in a genuinely inclusive way.
Today, and right through the garden party season, we are fortunate to have been able to access for you a visible reminder of a seismic period in our national history. We are deeply grateful to the National Transport Museum for lending us the open front tram which is on display here this afternoon and which survived both the 1913 Lockout and the Easter Rising. It is trams like this that carried the people of Dublin that bring home to us strongly, in ways that words often cannot, the reality of past events; forcibly reminding us that they are not simply descriptions in history books or photograph albums, but lived experiences and a part of the past that has shaped and influenced us both as a society and a people.
I would urge those of you who haven’t already done so to view the open tram, which was such a part of ordinary day life in Dublin during a formative time in our national history that lead to our State being born, and relive in your imaginations those turbulent, seismic and critically important days.
I have often spoken in the past of the terrible damage that has been inflicted on our society by the aggressive individualism and self interest of a speculative economy. This week, voices from the past have been heard which serve to highlight behaviours and attitudes at the very root of that failed economic model. They do not make for easy listening.
But let us be certain of one thing:
these are not the voices of the people of Ireland;
the attitudes they reveal are not shared by the people of Ireland;
the behaviours they reflect are not characteristic of the people of
Ireland.
The people of Ireland, who have borne the brunt of a financial crisis not of their making, are shocked and dismayed that a culture of greed and recklessness emerged in some of our institutions – a culture which was not in keeping with our core values as a nation.
The Irish people, who are rightly recognised for their fortitude, work ethic and courage, will take us out of this present crisis. The authentic voice, spirit and values of Ireland will be restored and will lead us to what is important – a real economy that provides sustainable employment for all and a just and ethical society that allows all its citizens to fully participate and achieve their life potential.
Informed foreign opinion will recognise that the real story from Ireland is not the aberrant voices we heard this week but the heroism of its people who are determined, not only to get through this crisis, but to secure a future that is just, prosperous and sustainable.
In conclusion, it is encouraging to be here today, and to see such strong reassurance that our great Irish community spirit is alive and well, that so many people in this country are showing such resilience and continuing to work to keep community and family at the heart of our society. It is something that I have encountered again and again during my time as President and long may it continue and may it bear fruit for you and the people you care for.
Tréaslaím libh agus molaim sibh as ucht gur cás libh bhur ról mar fhíor-shaoránaigh a bhfuil a ról sonrach féin le cur i ngníomh ag gach duine agaibh maidir le sochaí a chruthú agus a chothú a bheidh forásach, comhbhách, réamhbhreathnaitheach. Tá gliondar croí orm an deis a bheith agam fáilte a chur romhaibh chuig Áras an Uachtaráin agus chuig a thailte; agus tá mé ag súil go mbíonn sé ina lá taitneamhach agaibh a gcoinneoidh sibh in bhur gcuimhne go deo.
- [I congratulate you and commend you for taking seriously your role as true citizens who each have an individual role to play in creating and nurturing a vibrant, caring and forward looking society. I am delighted to have the opportunity to welcome you to Áras an Uachtaráin and its grounds; an experience I hope you will find both memorable and enjoyable.]
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, Mary Kennedy, and also to Michael Mc Getrrick and his band, OGMA, Ham Sandwich, Julie Feeney and of course a friend for so many years, Liam O’Maonlai for the wonderful entertainment you have provided this afternoon. You all have enhanced our guests’ experience here today 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 of God’s, 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.