REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO THE CAMOGIE BLITZ AT ST. CLARE’S
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO THE CAMOGIE BLITZ AT ST. CLARE’S, HAROLDS CROSS
I would like to thank you, Sr. Mercedes, for your warm words of welcome – and indeed I’d like to thank all of you for the wonderful reception which you have given me this afternoon - to the oldest Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Dublin. I am particularly grateful to the guard of honour who greeted me outside – and I’d like also to pay tribute to the Principal, Maria Spring, who has done such a magnificent job in organising events today.
Since 1803 – when the school was founded – St. Clare’s has seen many changes – and many generations come and go. The sister schools in Newry and Keady which were built in 1830 and 1871 - added significantly to the St. Clare ‘dynasty’ – and have created bonds that endure to this day. In fact, the Newry School – with which I am very familiar – is the oldest Catholic school in Northern Ireland. In all that time, the Sisters of St. Clare have reached out to those in need – to provide for their educational and spiritual needs. I would like to acknowledge the presence here of St. Helen – the Abbess General of the Sisters of St. Clare – and through her – I would like to pay a warm tribute to their contribution to Ireland over the last two centuries.
1994 was a significant year for St. Clare’s – with the first raising of the new South African Flag in Ireland – by Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Ghandi – and the establishment of St. Clare’s ‘camogie blitz’. I can’t say if the two events were connected – and I’d rather not speculate on which you consider to be the most important! But reaching out to others is what St. Clare’s has been and is about. I know that their role has changed to meet the many changes in society that have taken place – and today they also cater for ‘special needs’ children – as well as children from other countries who have come to Ireland with their parents to try to find a new home.
There’s nothing like a good game of Camogie to bring people together – and to bring out the best in people. I say that, of course, because camogie is my own sport – having played it at school and for Kickhams GAA in Ardoyne. It was my favourite sport in school – and indeed, is my girls’ favourite sport – both of whom play for a Dublin club. And of course, this year is going to be particularly exciting for camogie when – with the very generous sponsorship of Bord na Gaeilge – it’s going to be televised. I am delighted that camogie is going to get the recognition it so richly deserves.
The ‘camogie blitz’ between the three St. Clares is an occasion when the very best are competing with each other. It is also a ‘family’ occasion – when the three branches of the ‘Clare’ family come together in one place to compete and compare – to play and to party – and to share your experiences as pupils of St. Clare’s. In the process, you are creating new links – making new friends – and building bridges that will endure long after you have moved on from your schools. Because two of the schools are in Northern Ireland – and one in Dublin City – your ‘family’ is playing a important part in promoting understanding and appreciation for each others background and lore.
In an island as small as ours – it is surprising how easy it is for people to drift apart – to lead different lives in isolation from others who have a lot in common. Today, Ireland is at a new juncture – when the prospect of a lasting peace is hopefully becoming a reality. It is a time when all of us must look to what we have learned of our history – and to find a new way forward which respects the differences that history has brought about – yet allows us all to live together with respect for each other’s traditions and cultures. St. Clare’s is very much a part of that process of opening up new horizons – and building links between communities in the North and the South – through the ‘camogie blitz’ and the educational tours that you have organised between the schools.
This afternoon, we are rounding up this year’s ‘camogie blitz’ with the presentation of medals. In any sport there are always winners and losers. Participation is about being prepared to do either. Someone said that “the only drawback in being a good sport is that you have to lose to prove it”. While everybody doesn’t get a medal – as part of this event and as pupils of St. Clare’s - you are all winners in a sense. You will take home as trophies – the memories and friendships that you have – and you will treasure them for the rest of your lives.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend your teachers, you parents and the Board of Governors of the school - for their work with you in your schooling. Theirs is an important task – and one for which they don’t always get due praise. You are lucky to have so many people working with you and for you.