Some 140 students graduated from the Faculty of Commerce followed by 293 from the Faculty of Arts.

The Conferring addresses were given by Professor Yvonne Galligan, Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics, Queen's University, Belfast (attached) and Professor David MacKenzie, Department of Hispanic Studies, UCC.  The ceremonies conclude tomorrow (December 14th) when a further 114 students will graduate from the Faculty of Arts.

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Conferring Address by Dr Yvonne Galligan, Director, Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics, QUB
Thursday, December 13th 2007

President, academic colleagues, graduates and distinguished guests,

I am honoured to be asked to address you today - a day in which we celebrate achievement. I want to congratulate all of you on completing your studies. You have got this far through tenacity, commitment and hard work. These are qualities that will stand to you throughout your lives and today it is right that we celebrate the result of your efforts. I say "we" in this context because you have not been alone in your journey through university life. You have been supported by family and friends, by your lecturers and others who make this University the great place of learning that it is. You have been supported, indirectly, through public investment in education. A four-decade strategic investment in human capital has brought Ireland from a poor agricultural country to being one of the wealthiest in the world. Many people in this room have experienced this economic and social transformation through their own lived experiences. I think I speak for all of us in saying that we, as representatives of foregoing generations, take great pride in seeing our investment in family and society come to fruition in your graduation today.

You are now on the cusp of new endeavours, new challenges, and new opportunities. You carry with you a solid body of knowledge in your specialised field. Just as important as your acquisition of knowledge is your ability to analyse to a high conceptual level, your capacity to think creatively, and your fostering of an open and inquiring mind. Your task now is to bring all of these attributes to bear on your careers and on your lives outside of the workplace. You will do this so that you can fashion a satisfying life for you as individuals. I would like to think that you will also contribute your knowledge and talents to the wider society in which you live. In that way, you can become part of a bigger collective endeavour, creating Ireland as a better place for all who live on this island.

The better place that I speak of is not only measured in material gains and economic wealth. There is an old saying that 'All roads lead to Rome', meaning that all activities lead to the centre of things. If one were to apply that to Ireland today, one might be forgiven for believing that all activities were centred on the acquisition of wealth, on conspicuous consumption. Today in Belfast, one would truly believe that all roads led to the new IKEA store. I look at Ireland today, and wonder if we place too much emphasis on defining ourselves in economic terms, and too little on valuing our attributes of hospitality, friendliness, and community. Here is where you come in. You are the shapers of the Ireland of today and tomorrow. You have the opportunity to define the centre of things. Your challenge is to appraise how the essence of our Irishness appears to you. You need to think about what values you want to come through in an expression of our identity. You must decide what activities will support those values. And then you must create that identity.

This is a big challenge, but a very fundamental one for the future of Ireland as a strong, vibrant and creative society. We live in a society that needs to respond more successfully to accommodating people of diverse identities, cultures and backgrounds while not losing sight of what is unique about being Irish. We live in a society characterised by increasing disparities in income and wealth and we need to address the unequal access to resources that flows from it. Perhaps even more corrosive to our sense of identity is the growing individualisation of Irish society: a centering on self - self-ambition, self-preoccupation, self-satisfaction. Yet we in Ireland are known for our great generosity of spirit, our willingness to open our lives to others, to give of our time to others. These are the issues that my generation has not tackled as well as we should have. We need your fresh, critical and creative minds, your energy and commitment, to help us address these difficult matters.
 
The opportunities open to you from today are limitless. Take them, and bring your ambition to the widest horizons. We live in the age of globalisation, and with it global opportunities for you to make your own. Successful people in all walks of life, and from all backgrounds, have one thing in common - they love what they do. Having a passion for what you do communicates itself to others and in turn brings its own rewards. People with a love of what they do are continually learning, exploring, expanding their understanding. Their passion for their field of interest leads them to give and not look to receive. Having a real love for your life's work is the most self-affirming gift you can give to yourself. What is wonderful about today's world is that you are not constrained by one path, one role, one decision. Explore all the opportunities you find open to you, and through them you will find where your unique talents are best expressed.

The education you have received in UCC has given you a solid foundation to partake fully in the economy and society. Today, I urge you to make full use of that education in shaping the future for yourselves, your communities, and the wider world.

Many thanks for your attention, and I wish all of you a very happy day.

587MMcS

 

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