Speech at the International Garden Centre Association Congress
Mansion House, Dublin, 26th August 2014
Tá áthas orm a bheith anseo tráthnóna agus an deis a bheith agam fáilte a fhearradh romhaibh ar fad chuig Comhdháil Idirnáisiúnta Chumann na hIonaid Garraíodóireachta.
[I am delighted to be here this evening and to have the opportunity to welcome you all to the International Garden Centre Association Congress.]
This is the second time Ireland has had the honour of hosting this Congress and I would like to extend a particular welcome to all those who have travelled from abroad for this important event. I hope you will enjoy your time here in Dublin.
I have been looking at your impressive itinerary for the week ahead and am pleased to see that you will have the opportunity to visit some of Ireland’s most interesting gardens, historical sites and areas of interest as well, of course, as some of our very best garden centres. I am also pleased to hear that you will experience our internationally renowned Irish food and hospitality during your visit to Ireland.
In the fifty five years since your Association was founded you have, I know, been a valuable support to national garden centres and their members by providing an all important forum to promote business and networking opportunities and to learn and develop through access to international experience. I believe that most of the delegates here this evening represent independent garden centres and I know that you greatly appreciate the opportunity to remain connected to your international peers and to learn about the operation of other National Garden Centre Associations and the contribution they make to the cultural and economic dimensions of their countries.
Here in Ireland our horticulture industry is worth some €45 million euro annually. It is recognised and appreciated as a dynamic sector which has had, particularly in recent times, its own important role to play in the efforts to build a recovery based on a sustainable platform following the difficult economic challenges sourced in speculative economics that our country has recently faced. Now as we face into a more sustainable future that privileges a real economy it will, I am confident, be a sector that will continue to play an important role in a growing and sustainable economy.
Of course, Ireland was, until very recently, a largely agricultural country and the connection between Irish people and the land has always been a profound one. In a modern Ireland which has become rapidly urbanised in recent decades, that love of the land and instinctive yearning towards a nurturing way of life finds much of its fulfilment in the regular tending to gardens and allotments which is such an important part of daily life for many of those living in busy towns and suburbs. I know too that there has been a publically expressed support for any initiatives that will expand and promote models of urban farming.
One of this country’s most popular annual events is our Bloom festival which is Ireland’s largest gardening festival and has become firmly established in Ireland’s Summer calendar. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of opening this year’s Bloom festival in the Phoenix Park and saw, yet again, the enjoyment and satisfaction that can be derived from the creation of a beautiful garden. I also saw how personal and important that outdoor space can be for different people: how for some it is a serene place of calm and order where everything works together in perfect harmony and balance, while for others it is a joyful expression of creativity and a colourful celebration of nature at its very best.
But of course, regardless of our background, or nationality, gardening allows us to engage with nature and its reward to chart the passing of time; making us more acutely aware of how each season has its own unique moments of beauty and significance, while reminding us that the circle of life constantly leads to renewal, rebirth and regeneration and places obligations upon us. It is in gardens that we can see the importance of nurturing potential, of caring for plants as they grow and develop, of allowing every flower and shrub and sapling its proper place and space; and of ensuring that everything works together to create a place of harmony and balance.
Indeed, gardens play an important, and often integral, part in the lives of so many of us. How many of us, when we look back on the places we have lived in discover that many of our memories are rooted in the gardens which became for us, at different times, places of refuge, places of fun, places of self sufficiency, places of inspiration and creativity and of course places of peace and tranquillity. They were spaces of renewal and growth; spaces where we nurtured, cultivated, helped things grow and felt justly rewarded for our hard work and toil.
As President of Ireland I have been invited, on several occasions, to visit special gardens which have been created for the use of the general community. Such occasions are always inspiring reminders of what can be achieved when a community comes together, sharing their time, energy, skills and dedication to craft something that is truly good and lasting and that will continue to grow and mature for years to come.
The benefits from developing a community garden are very real: from the physical and mental health gains that come with exercise outdoors, to educating people on how and why to grow their own food, to encouraging the production of more food locally; from reducing reliance on imported and unsustainable food sources, to building community relations and developing social capital.
So it gives me genuine pleasure to be here this evening at this important event and to experience the supportive and co-operative environment in which the international gardening sector operates. All of you are here in a spirit of genuine community; to share your experiences, to learn from each other, and to offer your own visions for the future of the horticultural sector. You operate now in a very different world from the one that existed fifty five years ago when your association was first established.
Dealing with environmental issues in a globalised and increasingly technological age is possibly the most complex challenge the world faces in the twenty first century. Climate change, increased use of biofuels, air and water pollution, conservation, resource depletion and waste disposal are just some of the many concerns that need to be addressed urgently as we seek to create a more sustainable and better world.
The socio – economic effects of increased urbanisation have also been well documented and include increased energy, land and soil consumption; more overcrowding and congestion; and increased greenhouse emissions. In addition, the critical issue of food security is also affected by our changing environment and is one of the most serious challenges facing the global community today.
The encouraging and enabling of the protection and improvement of our environment, including through the production of more locally grown food, has become an increasingly critical task for leaders and policy makers around the world. The horticultural sector, including all those involved in the world of gardening, will play an important role as we work to create a more sustainable planet.
I therefore wish you a fruitful time here in Dublin and every success with your important work.
Thank you very much.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.