REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A CIVIC RECEPTION IN TOWN HALL
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF A CIVIC RECEPTION IN TOWN HALL TRALEE, CO. KERRY ON TUESDAY 5TH MAY, 1998
It is a great pleasure to be in Kerry again and in particular in its capital. I would like to thank the members of the Urban District Council for their kind invitation and Councillor Tobin for his kind remarks. The historian Archdeacon Rowan wrote about Tralee in 1854 and said “if ever there was a new town, Tralee is one. There are in it men old enough to remember the building of every house now standing. Everything is new – new shops on all sides of the street – new plate glass front windows – new flag ways under foot – the new canal and we soon hope to see the new railway station.”
Tralee has indeed seen the new railway station and much more besides. The intervening years have seen the erection of new public buildings and recreational facilities, the establishment of a third level college and an international airport.
On a cultural level, the town is also expanded. The famous Siamsa Tíre founded in 1974 has brought traditional dance and theatre to world attention. If that is was not enough, the annual Rose of Tralee Festival has made the town famous throughout the world. Archdeacon Rowan spoke about “a new town of Tralee”. In its development over the years however, Tralee has not forgotten its past. I have just come from the Jeanie Johnston Project which is a very good example of the way in which the people of Tralee seek to acknowledge their history. This project is the latest in a series of ambitious cultural tourism projects undertaken in Tralee in recent years. Many of the same individuals, voluntary groups and state agencies who have brought the windmill, steam railway and Terry Museum Projects to fruition have joined forces again to rebuild the Jeanie Johnston.
Since 1990, over £20m has been invested in tourism related projects generating an additional 200 full time and seasonal jobs directly in the tourism area. Visitor numbers to the greater Tralee area have increased over the same period from 110,000 in 1991 to over £500 in 1997. If he were here today Archdeacon Rowan would still describe Tralee as a new town. This is a great tribute to Tralee Urban District Council and all those whose hard work yields such impressive results.
ENDS