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SPEECH BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE CAVAN PARTNERSHIP OFFICES

SPEECH BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE CAVAN PARTNERSHIP OFFICES CHURCH STREET, CAVAN ON FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER, 19

I am delighted to be here today to perform the official opening of Cavan Partnership Offices and I would like to thank Ms. Linda Pinkster, Manager of Cavan Partnership for her kind invitation. I know that you have all actually been based in these offices since last December but it is still nice to celebrate something relatively new with a proper opening.

Cavan Partnership has been very successful in promoting local development throughout County Cavan. It is a tribute to Cavan Partnership that they have introduced many new groups to each other and helped them to feel at ease as they learn to develop new working relationships. Much of Ireland’s current success in terms of both economic and social progress stems from the whole partnership approach that is being followed in so many areas of life.

As is the case of all Partnerships, Cavan’s achievements both past and future have depended on, and will continue to depend on, the involvement, motivation and enthusiasm of the local people and their activities are the vital catalyst in building a better future. Ireland now has an abundance of communities that are joining forces to pool their ideas and resources in a meaningful way for the good of the whole community. Many people did not even realise what they were capable of achieving, until they began to form successful community groups that have devised specific strategies for dealing with particular problem areas.

We have witnessed enormous change in Ireland over the last two decades and the great strides we have made economically are the envy of many other countries. We still, however, despite all the good news, face many challenges because, while many in our society are enjoying our changing fortunes, there are others who feel excluded and isolated and are not sharing in any meaningful way in the benefits of our booming economy.

It is important for people living in both urban and rural areas that they feel a sense of community as well as being physically part of an area. The problems of isolation and social exclusion experienced by so many amongst us must be addressed and we must find new and innovative solutions to deal with them. While we are living in the so-called information age we have to be aware that many in our communities feel little or no part in any of this. It is as easy to feel isolated and excluded living in a terraced house in the centre of a town as it is in a rural area where your nearest neighbour might be a mile down the road. Resource Centres such as the ones located in Baileborough and Cootehill play an invaluable role in counteracting isolation and exclusion with their emphasis on childcare, adult education, citizens and employment information, youth clubs and services for the unemployed.

As I said earlier, it is obvious that Cavan Partnership has been very active since it was first set up in May, 1996 and more than five hundred people have participated in partnership actions in that time. The Area Allowance Enterprise Scheme which assists people in starting up their own businesses while at the same time letting them retain their social welfare benefits - gives them the support and encouragement to build up their businesses until they become sustainable.

The strong presence of women in community and voluntary groups has meant a much better gender balance in partnership arrangements. Cavan Partnership facilitated the establishment of the first ever County Cavan women’s network and has supported three lone parents groups in the County. Women demonstrate an energy and vitality which must be built on, so that the community, as a whole, benefits from the major contribution which they can make to the regeneration of their areas. Childcare, as an Enterprise Training Programme, has been one of the most successful initiatives run by the Partnership and a second course started in September last. In addition to this, the novel Toy Library Service has been set up as a resource for play groups and other pre-school facilities in the County so that they can enhance their services and provide a range of play equipment for children.

Another course which has been set up in conjunction with the Institute of Continuing Education, Queens University, Belfast, is the Community Development and Leadership Course for those actively involved in community development- ensuring that people who are genuinely interested in their community will be able to participate in community activities in a more professional and comprehensive manner.

The Smallholders Development Service, which is a service for low-income farmers and operates in two areas of Cavan will give many farming families a chance to discuss and hopefully address the problems they face within the farming community. By identifying their problems, they will have an opportunity to come up with shared solutions in which they can realise the full potential of their farms and make the most of the resource available to them.

I would like to make particular mention of the education and training projects which the Partnership has set up around the county catering for a wide range of ages - projects like the Homework Club and the education and training actions aimed at preventing early school leaving and supporting people as they acquire the additional skills necessary to enhance their employment prospects. Through these projects you are ensuring that the people of County Cavan are well equipped to participate in the economic blossoming of the country as it approaches a new Millennium full of new hopes and opportunities.

Cavan has much to look forward to, not only because of the Partnership activities but also because of the Peace Process which has inspired so much renewed hope in people and given so many people living in the border countries reasons to be optimistic about their future.

We can now look forward to a renewed prosperity in which everyone in Cavan can share. Here, in Cavan you are part owners with Fermanagh and Leitrim, of the beautiful Shannon-Erne Waterway which, as you all know, is a restoration of the old Ballinamore/Ballyconnell Canal and which in itself, is symbolic because of its links between North and South. I want to wish you every success with the Cavan Partnership Office. I hope that, in the future, the Partnership will unite many strands of activity throughout the county and I now declare this office officially open.