Bishop Leo O’Reilly’s Address at the Cavan Association Dinner
London, 6 November 2010
I thank the committee of the Cavan Association here in London for the invitation to join you once again for your annual dinner dance. It is good to be here and to renew friendships and acquaintances and to see the fruits of your fundraising for different charitable purposes in the course of the year. I congratulate you, and all who contributed to your fund-raising, on your generosity and commitment to those in need. It is great to see that spirit of kindness and solidarity still strong and flourishing among you.
We are living in difficult times. Whichever side of the Irish sea you are on these days you hear nothing but budget deficits in the billions, cutbacks and higher taxes, job losses and so on. Ireland seems to be in even more dire straits than Britain and is lumped together with Greece, Spain and Portugal as near basket cases. And yet, despite all that, and the bad weather into the bargain, I read in yesterday’s paper that Ireland is rated the 5th best place in the world to live. It mustn’t be just as bad as we are being told. There must be something good about the place.
There are some good news stories. And no doubt one of the great news stories in Cavan this year was the Fleadh – Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann – in the third week of August. No doubt others will be speaking about it and with a lot more title to talk about it than me. But I would like to take the opportunity of congratulating Mr Jack Keyes, the County Manager, the chairman of the Fleadh Committee, on the tremendous job he and his committee did in organising and running it. I have heard nothing but praise and the best evidence of its outstanding success is that Cavan is hosting it again next year.
On a sadder note, during the year gone by we lost a great Cavan man of our generation, Fr Paddy Sheridan. He spent many years here in London of course and it was wonderful to see representatives of the Association led by your chairman Peter Brady, in Inchicore for his funeral mass. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílís.
Looking to the future, could I mention that the International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Ireland in June 2012 – the 80th anniversary of the last one. When I was growing up in the 50s I remember the older people were still talking about the Congress of ’32. It was the biggest event in the history of the State up to that point. The 2012 Congress will not be on the same scale, but it will still be a huge occasion. The main events will be in Dublin as in 1932, but it will involve the whole country. We are already beginning the preparations. The major event of the preparatory phase will be a National Eucharistic Festival in the end of June next year. That will be in Knock and promises to be a memorable week-end. All are welcome. Book early. Watch the website for further news. Just google Eucharistic Congress and you’ll find it.
We need events like the Fleadh and the Congress to lift our spirits in these gloomy times. We need to remember the old dictum: “there is nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
Once again, my thanks for the invitation to be with you and for your usual hospitality, Congratulations once more to your hard working committee. Thanks also to my faithful chauffeur of many years, Margaret Lynch, my present drivers Jim Tully and Sean Collins, my hosts the Oblate Fathers in Quex Road. I wish you a very enjoyable night. Agus go mbeirimid beo ar an am seo arís.
