LAUNCH OF SKERRIES WELCOME PACK

Cathaoirleach, Deputies, Councillors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

You are all very welcome

Bienvenue

Witamy

Esiet sveicinati

Skerries is a very special place to live. We have great facilities and a great natural environment, but most of all we have a great sense of community. When I first came here in the mid 70s, the town was in its first wave of expansion. There was apprehension among some old Skerries people about the impact on the town, but most welcomed us with open arms, and the new and old groups set about working together for the betterment of the town. The new group was led by the late Jim Quigley, while the name that most comes to mind as representing the best of old Skerries people is the late Johnny Murray. Under their leadership, we built the community centre. It is 25 years later still a model of how a community facility should be run.

Skerries has grown again in recent years, and will continue to grow. The last phase of  expansion brought us Kelly’s Bay, and for the first time many of our new neighbours come from other countries. It was from Jack McGuinness’s work with Kelly’s Bay residents that the idea of a welcome pack came. Jack has been a tireless worker for integration in Kelly’s Bay, and we are fortunate that he now provides his time and energy for the whole town in the Skerries Community Association.

Skerries Community Association has a broad agenda based on a vision of making this great town an even better place to live. We have many environmental projects, making our young people aware through green schools, also tidy towns and coast care. We are promoting a new St. Michael’s House in conjunction with a new primary school. We are promoting cycling as a recreation and a practical means of transport. We have secured the final stage of Ras na hEireann this year. We are also promoting the walking bus concept for schoolchildren.

We are also working towards better facilities for teenagers. In this regard, we are also in touch with An Garda Siochana about anti-social behaviour. A town with a strong sense of community should not be destroyed by anti-social behaviour from anyone. We are also working for the needs of the elderly with a healthy ageing project. Among the ideas we are pushing here is a nursing home.

Our strong sense is that new people in the town must be made feel very welcome. This is not just in words, but in practical deeds. We want our new residents, whether they are Irish or from other countries, to feel at home, to know where they can go to solve any problem, to know where they can go for any recreation. Most importantly, especially for our residents from abroad, we want to integrate your culture, your music and traditions into our community. We want you to contribute actively to our community. We have initiated “Sharing our Rhymes” as a project in this regard. Holmpatrick School had a very interesting international food fair last Saturday, which gave us a taste of food from many countries. We have encouraged groups from other countries to participate in our annual music and arts festival, Sound Waves. We hope that many of you and your cultures will be represented in the festival here in September.

We are grateful for the support of many groups in all our projects, and especially in the Welcome Pack. Our thanks to CIC, Grainne Ward, who produced this booklet in conjunction with Skerries Community Association. Our thanks to Fingal Council for their support on many projects. Our thanks also to National Council to Combat Racism which has supported this and “Sharing our Rhymes”. And to all of you, good community minded citizens of Skerries, a special

Thank you very much

Míle buíochas

Merci beaucoup

Dziekuje bardzo

Paldies