Irish United Nations Veterans Association, Post 5 wreath-laying
Fitzgerald’s Park, Cork
Deputising for the Lord Mayor, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy
Speech
Brigadier General, chairman, veterans, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Lord Mayor, many thanks for the invitation to this important event today.
As a child growing up in the 80’s I loved the A-team, they were defenders of everything good and were my heros for many years. the A-team fuelled my imagination – The principal characters all had valuable traits – Hannibal for his ideas, BA for his strength, Murdock for his quirkyness and Face for acquiring the missions and finance
For many of us, keepers of the peace, defenders of human rights are Hollywood heros or Hollywood icons – we see the stories through the medium of television or film.
However, as my own life’s journey progressed I was brought to education and community programmes and I discovered new heros of the uncelebrated kind – those that stand up for their local community.
But in every corner of the world there are heros.
There is the unsung hero not living in an action programme or action movie but living in very real life situations striving forward, pushing forward inch by inch, making a difference – providing a sense of belief and confidence in campaigning for rights and a better world and future.
HEROS
Society needs heros, defenders,
it needs leaders who will justly rule and provide as many opportunities for development as possible
Heroes are special – they are if you break down the letters to reflect ideas – you get words like h for honourable – they stand for something, some important value of human nature.
E is for energy – their energy is usually enormous – charged with ambition, courage and dedication to defend a cause, to make a difference.
R is for the realism that heros debate, write and champion.
Perhaps O is the onus presented to us to listen, empatise and do our part to support a just hero
This memorial in our beautiful Fitzgerald’s Park has many meanings –
There is a power in a sense of place. This memorial is rooted in Cork’s cultural history, in tradition, in continuity, change and legacy; this memorial marks a place of direction and experiment, of dialogue, of ambition and determination, experiences and learning,
In particular as we lay our wreaths today we remember all those who laid down their lives for peace but also all those who served proudly and returned safely.
Defence Forces:
Ireland became a member of the United Nations in 1955. Since 1958, the Defence Forces have a continuous presence on peace support operations, in recent years, Defence Forces personnel have also found themselves in many parts of the globe as peacekeepers.
Each of those individuals continue to form a solid foundation from which to face the challenges posed by the changing nature of international conflict prevention and crisis management.
The foundation of the State’s approach to international peace and security is set out in our Constitution in which “Ireland affirms its devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly co-operation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality”.
Mary McAleese in her address at the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the UN notes that our peace keepers became “a bridge to peace for so many victims of conflict. They were and are the answer to prayers of despair that go up wherever the powerless are overwhelmed by violence and left to wonder whether anyone out there in the wider world cares”.
We need leaders:
Perhaps too often we’re quick to take down the one that steps forward to help to lead.
But in the world we live in we need more good leadership than what appears in several countries in the world.
To defend life, to promote peace requires much energy – life itself whether physical or on some imaginative plain is complex – sometimes the lines are blurred with participants not knowing any better.
Today we are challenged to think about all our futures and to debate concerns and issues on life itself – what are we doing in our lives to make a difference?
If anything, our remembering today has the power to stop the passerby, to impress, make one question, wonder, dream, remember, be disturbed, explore and not forget.
I wish to congratulate all those involved in this event and encourage one and all to keep going, plough on and keep remembering the power of memory.
On behalf of the City you may be justifiably proud to be part of the achievements of the Irish contribution and I commend you for your dedication to continuing to support veterans and their families; particularly those who have lost loved ones in the service of their country.
May they rest in peace
Thank you