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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT, MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS ENCOUNTER

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT, MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS ENCOUNTER AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FRIDAY, 28TH MAY, 199

Dia dhaoibh go léir.

One of the events which I most enjoyed last year, my first year as President, was the day that boys and girls from Primary schools throughout the country came to visit me here at Áras an Uachtaráin. As you can see we have just about managed to tidy up in time for this year!

I am very happy to welcome you here to Áras an Uachtaráin today, but I am also a little bit sad, sad that I have taken you away from your studies. I can see that many of you are upset that you had to leave your schools and make the long journey to Áras when you know you could have been having a much better day at school.

I would like to thank you for making the journey and for the wonderful art and poetry you have prepared for us at the Áras on the theme of “Handing Over – Building Bridges into the New Millennium”. The quality of the work is really outstanding and I know will impress the many visitors to the Aras who will have the opportunity to see it.

Building Bridges is the theme I chose for my Presidency. Those bridges can be built in all directions - with older people, and as many of you will know this is the International Year of Older Persons; - with people who come here from abroad and find themselves strangers in a strange land; - with our disabled brothers and sisters; - with people who cannot enjoy all the same things as the rest of us because of poverty or other problems; - with people of different religions and backgrounds who share this island with us.

It is important that we build bridges with all these people, because in extending a hand of friendship, we receive friendship in return. We learn more about our world and about ourselves. We learn that everyone has something to contribute in building a better world. And you, our children, are the ones who will build those bridges and that better world. I hope you are already working on that job by being kind to each other, never saying hurtful things to your classmates, standing up to those who bully you and bully others – not violently but firmly verbally telling them they are being mean and hurtful. Everytime you say and do something nice for another person, every time you refuse to accept bad behaviour from someone else, you make more space for goodness and happiness – you put down another stepping stone to that better happier world we all want to live in.

I look forward to meeting you all this afternoon. I hope you will have a wonderful day and that you will enjoy the entertainment that our musicians will provide. Just now we’ve had the pleasure of listening to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí and later on the band ‘Dove’ will play for us. Most of all, I hope that each of you will meet as many people as you can, that you will make new friendships and build new bridges here today.

Before I come down to meet you, I would like to say a big thank you to your teachers for bringing you here today and for everything they are doing to teach you -to help you with your work and for giving you the chance to experience things like this. In years to come you will remember them for what they have done for you and will be very thankful for having them as your teachers.

I hope you all have a great time and that you will have many happy memories of the day you came to Áras.

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh taitneamh as an lá. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.