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Speech at the Official Opening of ‘Peace Link’

The Clones Erne East Sport Facility, Clones, Co. Monaghan, 26 September 2014

Dia dhaoibh go léir tráthnóna. Tá ríméad orm bheith anseo i gCluain Eois ag oscailt oifigiúil  ‘An Nasc Síochána’, ‘sé sin, an tsaoráid spóirt mhórthaibhseach ina bhfuil muid inár seasamh. Is mór agam slua chomh mór sin agaibh bheith anseo inniu chun an ócáid thábhachtach seo a cheiliúradh agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Comhairle Chontae Mhuineacháin as ucht cuireadh a chur chugam le bheith libh go léir anseo inniu.

[Good afternoon everyone. I am delighted to be here in Clones for the official opening of the ‘Peace Link’, this impressive sporting facility in which we are standing.  I am pleased to see so many of you here today to celebrate this important event and I would like to thank Monaghan County Council for inviting me to join you all here today.]

Here in Ireland our love of sport is tightly woven into our culture. Sport has played, and continues to play, a significant role in creating a sense of community, of belonging and of active participation in our society.

Indeed, in towns, villages and counties across Ireland the local GAA club is often the beating heart of the community; connecting neighbour to neighbour, promoting intergenerational solidarity, and bringing together a diverse and eclectic mix of people as they proudly cheer for their county team.

It is a sense of belonging and unity that stretches far beyond these shores, creating unbreakable bonds between members of our diaspora, and also amongst second and third generations of Irish people, in countries across the world.

In fact it can be difficult to think of any other pastime or cultural activity which has such a powerful unifying force; and which can so effectively transcend not only time and distance, but also many of the perceived differences which we so often allow to come between us and our fellow citizens.  It is through partaking in a sport that many of us first learn the importance of teamwork; of just how much can be achieved when everyone works together, playing their own important and unique role as they strive to achieve the best possible outcome.

Today we celebrate again the spirit of unity which lies at the heart of all true sportsmanship. The opening of this splendid cross community sports complex, so aptly named Peace Link, is yet another step in our continuing journey towards a lasting peace on the Island of Ireland.

If we are to truly write a new and inclusive chapter of this Island’s narrative, it must be a chapter where all citizens can look towards a shared future built around a society where people from all creeds and all communities can work and play together in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding.

It must be a chapter where that real will to achieve sustained peace does not remain on the negotiating tables and in the formal wording of agreements and peace treaties, but whose pages are written on our streets, and in our schools and our workplaces, by citizens who understand that peace and reconciliation can only endure if its spirit is lived daily within the very heart of our communities.

The development and building of Peace Link is one of the many inspiring and uplifting examples of the real will that does exist on this Island for such a lasting peace; peace grounded in a society where every citizen is allowed their right to participate and is given the opportunity to live and grow in conditions of freedom, communal solidarity, justice and equality.

Peace Link is, of course, one of a number of valuable projects that have been funded by the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, the most recent incarnation of EU Peace funding programmes that date back to 1995,when peace across this island became a real possibility.

I know, and must acknowledge, how grateful everyone is for the much welcomed and generous EU funding which helped to bring to reality this inclusive and friendly space.

It must also be acknowledged, however, that it is a place that began its life through the innovative vision of a community who dared to imagine an alternative version of society; and it is that community who drove the project forward, constantly meeting the demands and challenges of such an initiative as they worked tirelessly to bring it to fruition. The Clones Erne East Sports Partnership pursued their vision with vigour, determination and persistence; and without their dedication and the committed support and encouragement of the communities in Clones and Erne East, Peace Link would never have become the lived reality we witness today.

That will to bring about real change can be witnessed throughout the region in creative initiatives such as the wider Clones regeneration project, the establishing of the Castle Saunderson All-Island Scout Centre which I had the pleasure of opening two years ago, and of course the restoration of the Ulster Canal, and it is always uplifting to come to this region and witness such a palpable desire to renew, rebuild and re-imagine.

It is a resolve I witness here again today in this remarkable new sports centre which caters for a whole range of sports from athletics to badminton, to gymnastics to archery, and encompassing many other activities reflecting the varied interests that exist in any lively community, and providing a space that can be shared by those from all generations, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs; from the Clones area in Monaghan and the Erne East area in Fermanagh and all of the surrounding areas. Peace Link is a centre of community in its truest sense; a place of acceptance, belonging and of working together in the common interest.

Regeneration has, at its heart, a desire for renewal, restoration and revitalization. Today we recognise and remember our troubled past and the impact it has had on the lives of many. But we also look forward to a future of peace and reconciliation, a future of common purpose and shared hopes, written and narrated by the many different voices that make up our society.

I would like to conclude by congratulating and commending all of those who have been involved in this inspiring project. It has been a great privilege to have been able to share in your achievement and to celebrate with you the realisation of a long held dream.

Uair amháin eile gabhaim buíochas libh as ucht bhúr gcuireadh bheith anseo inniu agus guím gach rath amach anseo ar an Nasc Síochána agus orthu siúd uilig a thagann anseo chun leas a bhaint as an gcoimpléacs ollásach seo.

[I thank you once again for inviting me here today and I wish Peace Links and all those who come here to use this magnificent complex very success in the future.]

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.