President Mary McAleese has said that the people of Ireland are "worth much, much more than to be defined by this economic crisis", as part of her "warmest Christmas and New Year greetings" to Irish families in Ireland and around the globe.
The President stressed the importance of self-belief and determination in respect to building Ireland’s future.
She predicted that many people gathered for the holidays would inevitably speak about Ireland’s financial problems "which have brought hardship and heartache into many a home", she said.
"Mustering the self-belief and determination that will reinvigorate our country psychologically and economically is now an imperative," Mrs McAleese said.
"Our history has given us resilience in the face of adversity and maybe it's time to remind ourselves that we do indeed have many strengths to help us on the journey ahead."
Mrs McAleese highlighted the shared "meitheal of good neighbourliness, solidarity and volunteer generosity" among Irish people.
"We are a people rich in imagination, creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills," she said.
Mrs McAleese also remarked on "the gift of peace" that had "already transformed life on our shared island" and the "extraordinarily loyal global Irish family".
"Above all, we have a talented and ambitious cohort of young people who deserve the gifts of confidence in their future and pride in their country," she added.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.kurtjohnson | Dec 21, 2010, 10:02 PM EST
Good posts as always, sirpeter. Maccamouthpiece just parrots an empty stream of sociology jargon which is all aimed at blaming the the ills of industrial state Ireland on the Irish people rather than trans-national actors and banks.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 05:29 PM EST
I wouldn't touch with Towngates langer
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 05:27 PM EST
God!! look at the head on her..How could you believe a word these overpaid people say...I can't look at any of them.
ciarrai | Dec 21, 2010, 04:07 PM EST
How much is she stealing a year while Ireland goes into the shitter.
jamieLM | Dec 21, 2010, 11:04 AM EST
Typo - "ridiculous" - sorry about that.
jamieLM | Dec 21, 2010, 11:02 AM EST
Don't cha just love to hear sentiments, like "self-belief," from people who have a job, a paid-for house, enough money, and aren't exactly "struggling," even if it is meant to be inspiring? We hear the same thing in America by the same people who tell us how to feel and what to do (tighten our belts), instead of dealing with the corruption on Wall Street and in the insurance and banking industries, to name a few. We also have a Congress that keeps passing bills containing riduculous earmarks (pet projects) to add to our deficit.
sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 09:11 AM EST
Mary you are stating what we already know.Your message should be. People of Ireland despite what the stupid government has done and our corrupt bankers,ye must stand up in solidarity and sweep away the corruption and clamp down on the over payed cosy jobs like i have.
LoyalCitizen | Dec 21, 2010, 09:04 AM EST
When we all get half a million for doing nothing then we can all have self belief. If that's the best she can come up with to deal with corrupt politicians and bankers then she must be worth every penny.
CitizenWhy | Dec 21, 2010, 04:54 AM EST
Good message. But Ireland has very bad bankers, that's fact.