Remarks at a Garden Party
Áras an Uachtaráin, 13th July 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 at Áras an Uachtaráin, including 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 fair for you to enjoy.
The garden party season is always a special time of the year in Áras an Uachtaráin, a time when Sabina and I get the opportunity to welcome families and communities to the Áras 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. For example when they enter and even become winners of the Tidy Town Competition. Then there are the voluntary organisations that are helping our vulnerable citizens in so many ways; the sense of pride of parents, teachers, past pupils, children past and present, in the schools which are celebrating significant anniversaries which have woven themselves into the lives and histories of their communities; 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. When communities work together amazing things can happen.
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 local, national and international, 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.
Today, and right through the garden party season, we have been 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 story and experience 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.
May I 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.
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 continue to encounter 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.
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.
May I, on all of our behalf, thank 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, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, our DJ Richie McCann, the Dartry Ceili Band, I Draw Slow, Madu and, of course, Eleanor Shanley for the wonderful entertainment 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.