Daughters of Charity Training Enterprise Employment Services Limerick

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS I HAVE HAD ONE BIG WISH. SO THIS YEAR FOR MY P.C. P. IԚÂ  ASKED IF I COULD GO TO SEE PRESIDENT MARY MC ALESSE IN ARAS ANԚÂ   UACHTARAIN.ԚÂ   LAST AUGUST WE WROTE A LETTER AND TO MY SUPRISE AT THE END OF FEBRUARY MYRA RECIEVED A PHONE CALL TO SAY WE WOULD MEET THE PRESIDENT ON THE 3^RD OF MARCH. I WAS SO EXCITED MY DREAM HAD COME TRUE.

WE SET ABOUT PLANNING OUR TRIP.ԚÂ   NEWS SPREAD VERY FAST ALL THE GROUP AND STAFF WEREԚÂ  SO LOOKING FORWARD TOԚÂ  MEETING THEԚÂ  PRESIDENT.ԚÂ  THE STAFF JUMPED AT THE CHANCE OF A DAY TO GET ALL DRESSED UP. WE ALL SET OFFԚÂ  FROMԚÂ   LISNASRY AROUND 9.15AM. EVERY BODY WASԚÂ   DRESSED UP IN SHIRTS, TIES, DRESSES, SUITS, WEԚÂ   HARDLY KNEW THE MEN.

WE HAD LUNCH IN THE AISLING HOTEL IN DUBLIN. THEN WE HEADED FOR THE ARAS. WE WERE SO EAGER TO GET THERE WE WERE ABOUT HALF AN HOUR EARLY. BARRY KELLIHER HOSTED A QUIZ ABOUT THE PRESIDENT BEFORE WE WENT IN. WE ALSO WATCHED THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS AT THE MAIN GATE. IT WAS A BIT LOW KEY TOWARDS THE PALACE IN LONDON. AT LAST 2.15PM CAME. THEԚÂ  GUARD OPENED THE BIG WHITE GATES, THE CHEER AND EXCITEMENT WHEN THE BUS DROVE THROUGH THE GATES.

WE DROVE UP THE LONG AVENUE AND AT LAST WE SAW THE ARAS. CAMERAS STARTEDԚÂ  FLASHING STRAIGHT AWAY.ԚÂ  WE DID FINAL CHECKS BEFORE WE LEFT THE BUS, STRAIGHTENED THE TIES APPLIED THE LIP STICKԚÂ   AND OF COURSE WE MADE SURE WE HAD THE CAMERAS IN HAND.

WE WERE WELCOMED TO THE ARAS BY THE PRESIDENTS TWO AIDE DE COM. YOU COULD FEEL THE EXCITEMENT AS WE ENTERED THROUGH THE TWO BIG BROWN DOORS INTO ARAS AN UACHTARAIN.ԚÂ   WE CLIMBED THE STEPS INTO THE HALL. IT WAS BREATH TAKING EVERYTHING WAS BIG AND SHINY. THE CEILINGS WERE LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEE IN AN ART BOOK.WE TURNED LEFT AND AS WE WALKED DOWN THE HALL THEY WERE SCULPTURES OF HEADS OF PAST PRISIDENTS.

WE TURNED RIGHT INTO A BIG RECEPTION ROOM WITH BIG WINDOWS IT WAS MASSIVE AND VERY BRIGHT. THE CARPET WAS BLUE AND GREEN WITH A BIG HARP IN THE MIDDLE AND SHAMROCKS DOTTED ALONG THE EDGE. THE AIDE DE COM WELCOMED US AND GAVE A SHORT SPEECH ON WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. HE ASKED US TO FORM A LINE AROUND THE ROOM à ¢Ã¢”š ¬Ã…”STANDING ON A SHAMROCKà ¢Ã¢”š ¬Ã‚ . HE TOLD US THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE ALONG SHORTLY TO MEET US. I WAS FIRST IN LINE AND MYRA WAS SECOND AND SO ON. I WAS SHACKING WITH EXCITEMENT AND FELT HOT AND COLD. THE AIDE LEFT THE ROOM TO ESCORT THE PRESIDENT TO MEET US.

SUDDENLY THE DOOR OPENED AND IN CAME THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND. I COULD FEEL BUTTERFLIES IN MY TUMMY. SHE WELCOMED US AS A GROUP AND THEN CAME THE MOMENT I HAD WAITED FOR. SHE CAME OVER TO ME AND MYRA INTRODUCED ME AND EXPLAINED THAT I WAS THE LADY WHO HAD WRITTEN THE LETTER TO HER. AS I SHOOCK HER HAND I WAS SO EXCITED AND FELT SO HONOURED. SHE CONTINUED AROUND THE ROOM UNTIL SHE MET EVERYONE.

CHRISTY THEN MADE A PRESENTATION OF A PAINTING BY CORMAC NASH WHO WAS ON HOLIDAYS OF à ¢Ã¢”š ¬Ã…”KING JOHNS CASTLEà ¢Ã¢”š ¬Ã‚ . I PRESENTED A THANK YOU CARD FOR INVITING US. WE THEN ALL ORGANISED OURSELVES FOR A GROUP PHOTO WITH THE PRESIDENT. THREE CHAIRS WERE PLACED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR. THE PRESIDENT SAT IN THE MIDDLE WITH MYRA TO HER RIGHT AND I WAS TO HER LEFT. EVERYONE ELSE GATHERED IN BEHIND US. THE TWO AIDES TOOK OUR CAMERAS AND THEY TOOK LOTS OF PHOTOS FOR US.

WE THEN HAD HIGH TEA WITH THE PRESIDENT. I HAD TEA SERVED IN A CHINA CUP AND SAUCER. THERE WAS A BIG SPREAD OF CAKES, BUNS, SCONES AND SHORT CAKE BISCUIT ALL WERE HOME MADE .AS WE ENJOYED OUR TEA THE PREISIDENT MINGLED WITH THE CROWD AND WAS INTERESTED IN OUR WORK AND INTERESTS. THEN AFTER TEA SHE SAID HER GOODBYES AND LEFT THE ROOM. WE THEN GOT A TOUR OF SOME ROOMS IN THE HOUSE.

WE THEN LEFT THE RECEPTION AREA AND WENT INTO THE NEXT ROOM. THERE WAS A BIG LONG BROWN SHINYԚÂ  TABLE. WE ALL SAT AROUND THE TABLE AND FELT VERY IMPORTANT. THE WALLS WERE LINED WITH POTRAITS OF FORMER PRISIDENTS. MARY ROBINSON WAS MY FOVOURITE. IN THIS ROOM THE NEWLY APPOINTED DAIL ARE SIGNED IN.

THE NEXT ROOM WE VISITED HAD PAINTINGS HANGING ON THE WALLS THAT WERE GIFTS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAD VISITED THE ARAS.ԚÂ   THE AIDE SAID CORMACS PAINTING MIGHT END UP ON THE WALL. ALL THE ROOMS HAD TWO FIRE PLACES AND THE WALLS WERE COVERED IN SOME KIND OF SILK WALL PAPER TO KEEP THE HEAT IN. THE CELINGS WERE DECORATED IN GOLDEN DESIGNS AND LOOKED GREAT.

THE NEXT ROOM HAD A HUGE BIG PIANO IN IT. JIMMY MURPHY PLAYED A TUNE FOR US. THE VIEWS FROM THE ROOM OUT ONTO THE GARDEN WERE LOVELY AND THEY SHOWED US THE TREE THAT QUEEN VICTORIA PLANTED WHEN SHE VISITED IRELAND A LONG TIME AGO. WE ALSO SAW THE TABLE THAT WAS DESIGNED OF CONNEMARA MARBLE FOR BILL CLINTONà ¢Ã¢”š ¬Ã¢”ž ¢S VISIT. WE ALL TOOK TURNS AT SITTING ON THE COUCH AND LOOKING AT ALL THE INTERESTING PIECES AND PAINTINGS IN THE ROOM.WE THEN WENT BACK OUT INTO THE HALL AGAIN. WE THANKED THE TWO AIDES FOR MAKING OUR VISIT SO MEMORABLE.

AS OUR VISIT CAME TO AN END WE WENT OUT INTO THE GARDENS FOR A FINAL LOOK AT THE HOUSEԚÂ  AND THE WATERFALL. OUR BUS WAS WAITING FOR US TO TAKE US BACK TO LIMERICK. WE ALL LOADED UP INTO THE BUS AND FELT A GREAT SENCE OF PRIDE AND DELIGHT AT OUR VISIT TO ARAS AN UACHTARAIN.ԚÂ   AS WE LEFT WE HAD ONE FINAL LOOK AT THE HOUSE FROM THE MAIN ROAD. THIS WAS TRULY THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.