`Aloys Fleischmann and his Circle’

As part of Cork City Library’s programme for the Fleischmann Centenary celebrations a lecture by Séamus de Barra with a recital by Aoife O’Sullivan (soprano) and Patrick Zuk (piano) will take place at the Central Library, Grand Parade, Cork

Saturday, 18 September  2010  at 7.00 p.m.

Cllr Kieran McCarthy

On behalf of the Lord Mayor, many thanks for the invitation here this evening,

        Tonight we continue our celebrations of the life of Aloys Fleischman, a name that has weaved its way through many decades into the consciousness of Cork cultural history. His name is up there amongst the great citizens that emerged from our beautiful city to make a difference.

It seems an all too easy to sum up his career – it seems to be an easy option to say he was an Irish composer and musicologist. That he wrote several books and articles on Irish music. It is also seems too easy to highlight that he was a one time Professor of Music in Cork.

He composed in many formats, and his work includes pieces written for chamber, solo instrumental, ballet, chorus and full orchestra. He founded the Cork Symphony Orchestra in 1934 and was involved in the establishment of the Cork International Choral and Folk Dance Festival (now called Cork International Choral Festival) in 1954. He worked alongside Joan Denise Moriarty in setting up the Cork Ballet Company in 1947. She being a name like Aloys has also etched its way into the cultural life of this city.

It may also be too easy not to try to grasp the cultural undercurrent that Professor created, the spotlight he shone on types of music perhaps on the verge of disappearing or the influence of his carefully crafted speech notes on those who listened, inspired and debated what they heard in their lives. We perhaps will never know how many souls he did inspire or perhaps saved.

I’m a firm believer that the subject of history should be about learning from the past. Otherwise I think the relevance of history is very limited. There is so much to learn from Aloys Fleischmann. So what are some of the lessons?

Firstly, our celebration this year is about legacy. It is about what we have inherited from Professor Fleiscmann whose contribution to his world inspired,  has now evolved and now contributes to our modern society.  We’ll hear the legacy through Séamus de Barra, Aoife O’Sullivan (soprano) and Patrick Zuk’s work this evening. (piano). Professor Fleischman’s life story in particular in the 1930s touch upon ideas such as ambition, how he moved forward intellectual engagement, politics, community development, art and education.  Concepts of history, culture, globalisation, memory, enterprise and identity are all seem to be represented in his life story.

What is very important to note is that the life of Aloys Fleischmann is about a real person and real events.  It is very easy to romanticise about the lives of people in the past.  Yet when you explore through his achievements, there is so much there and yes there is so much to learn from them. But he like most people also struggled. He like all of us had a journey through life, a journey through decades so different to our own. We live in the post celtic tiger economy where there are new economic empires being forged. We live in an advanced technology age. So perhaps the first lesson I wish to share with you this evening is about life and the journey we all go through.

Secondly, underlining Professor Fleischman’s work are questions about the power of creativity, colour and imagination.

 It is about taking risks and pushing out the comfortable boundaries of life.

There is such a broad spectrum of people represented here but we are all part of his story this evening because the legacy represented here tonight is very much alive. His life still influences the essence of Cork today. And Cork is very much alive.

So let me ask the question to you?

What can you do that will bring his legacy forward? What can you do to continue the enormous contribution of Professor Fleischmann?

Have you got some of Prof. Fleischmann’s talents? Do you know someone?

Are you a composer, a musicologist? are you a writer? an artist ?, a creator, an educator ?

Now is our time… What can you do to move Cork forward or indeed yourself forward ? Every person deserves a challenge. And every person can make a difference. And perhaps that is the second lesson. every person can make a difference If you still don’t believe me, listen carefully to Seamus’s talk

The lessons on life and pushing oneself forward are but two lessons to be learned from Professor Fleischmann whether you are a business guru in Cork, a social scientist or a mild mannered Corkonian. And yes those lessons are not easy to learn…it takes time…and many of us don’t realise them until late in life.

The educational value of exploring Professor Fleischmann’s work is vast. Professor Fleischmann’s work encourages us all to ponder on the power of the individual and their contribution to society, whether at a local or international level. For the social scientist, Fleischmann poses questions for further study and debate, framing, enhancing and evolving old and new historical narratives. For the visitor, like me new to the work of Aloys Fleishmann, perhaps his work is another key part of the jigsaw puzzle of the history of a lonely planet listed city, a City and region of continuous making and inspiration. And maybe for Cork people, Professor Fleischmann is about us, the power of an individual and our place in the modern world.

Conference on Social Exclusion,

Organised by New Communities Partnership

Saturday 18^th August

Imperial Hotel. Cork

Speech notes for Cllr Kieran McCarthy,

deputising for the Lord Mayor

Minister Martin, speakers, ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Lord Mayor, many thanks for the invitation here this morning.

As a geographer by trade, I study Cork as my living, what makes its tick, what gives it a sense of place. I’m always intrigued by the idea that Cork is a place of coming and going. As a port in Western Europe, the essence of Cork has inspired many entrepreneurs and artisan families tosettle in the region through the ages.

Some peoples’ stories began in Cork; others brought their talents and ambition abroad and never returned to their native city whilst others from abroad spent their entire life in the rebel city. So the concept of social inclusion for individuals and families not born of Cork should not be a new factor.

However, the struggle to fit in has always been a factor, much written about and debated. But it’s not just the migrant who has found himself or herself working hard to fit in, it is also the Cork citizens who are also searching to find a niche to carve for himself or herself. However, perhaps this case cannot just be applied to Cork but also to every settlement in the world where new groups arrive to add to the settlementscape mix.

As someone who gives talks and walks on Cork’s past to the wider Cork Community and someone who teaches in Cork schools the value of history to students, I am very conscious of the importance of identity to people in forging a sense of belonging and a feeling of fitting in, being wanted, being respected, being trusted, being cared for.

Co-production and Core Values:

In the United States in recent years, advocates of Social Inclusion have harnessed ideas of Co-production as Core Values. These own values have also formed part of my own work over the last few years.

Firstly, I firmly believe that every human being has something to give and can be a builder or a contributor

Secondly that core individuality values also include whatever it takes to raise healthy children, support families, make neighbourhoods safe and vibrant, care for frail and vulnerable people, redress justice, and make democracy work.

Thirdly  social networks are important to all of us. All of us require a social infrastucture. These social networks require ongoing investment of social capital generated by trust, reciprocity and civic engagement.

Fourthly, I embrace firmly the concept of life long learning, Educational programmes enhance all our lives and also enhance social inclusion of marginal groups. Learning at any age is seen as an effective tool for all of us to offer us new perspectives on life.

And Fifthly, I embrace the idea of reciprocity;The impulse to give something back to society.  That wherever possible, we must replace one way with two-way transactions, both between individuals and between people and institutions. That there must be a sort of exchange.

Challenges:

Across the world governments and large organisations – including educational institutions – are adopting social, economic, education and community approaches that contribute to more cohesive and productive communities. This broadly termed ‘social inclusion agenda’ is a response to a widening gap between those who live in poverty and those who have plenty.

This gap is not just economic. It is a gap in access to information, to social networks and services, to food security, to technology, to health and wellbeing, to educational opportunities, and ultimately to meaningful and secure employment.

Coupled with that during the boom times in Ireland, net inward immigration is estimated to have accounted for 80% of the demographic increase with the number of immigrants living in Ireland rising from 220,000 to 400,000. Non-nationals in 2007 comprised some 8% of the workforce – one of the highest in the EU.

Attempts have been made by our government and City Council to make sure that certain social inclusion did take place. It was successful at some levels through social partnership agreements which sought integration and embracement of cultural diversity. However, perhaps for the Irish citizen. the advent of new citizens came very quickly, the migrant wove their way into a conservative Ireland putting a spotlight on social inclusion for migrants more than ever before.

With the aims of this conference in mind, I would like to offer a few notes. Recent studies in the Ireland and UK argue a number of key messages with regard to social inclusion:

1.                  No challenge to exclusion can succeed without a co-productive and partnership approach, working with excluded people is essential at every level of development and delivery.

2.                  Social inclusion is about more than getting people back to work; it is also about wider participation. All people have a right to access those social, economic, educational, recreational and cultural opportunities, and physical health services, that most citizens take for granted.

3.                  Social inclusion is about more than access. Social inclusion is more than improving access to mainstream services – it is about participation in the community, as employees, students, volunteers, teachers, carers, parents, advisors, residents; as active citizens.

4.                  We need to work across traditional boundaries. Reducing barriers to inclusion requires integrated effort across government and non-government agencies at all levels, horizontally and vertically, influencing policy and practice through direct links to individual experience.

5.                  A sense of personal identity supports recovery and inclusion. People are more than just a category or a diagnosis and have valuable contributions to make, not just needs to be met. Services should support people to access the opportunities available within the many communities to which they belong and to make valued contributions as active citizens.

6.                  To promote inclusion we need pathways from segregated service provision into mainstream services. Groups or activities solely for segregated sections of the community may reinforce segregation unless they are part of a supported pathway into mainstream services accessed by everyone.

So in essence I feel we need to focus on developing effective multidimensional social inclusion strategies focused on addressing the multidimensional nature of disadvantage that is experienced by socially excluded individuals and groups in our community.

I would like to end with a number of questions, just put up your hand if you agree with the following statements:

1. Cork is for the most part is free from racism and prejudice.

2. All places in Cork are shared, safe, inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

3. Positive and harmonious relationships exist between communities in Cork.

4.  Cork is a community where people of all backgrounds work, live, learn

and play together.

5. Minority ethnic people participate in public, political and economic life.

6. Minority ethnic people benefit from equality in health and welfare.

7.     Cork is a place where cultural diversity is embraced, respected, valued.

They are just a couple of questions to set the ball rolling. Thanks again for the invitation. I am honoured to be able to officially launch this event.