It may have been her first official function in the Connemara Gaeltacht. But when President McAleese visited Comhar Chumann Dhuiche Sheoigheach in Cornamona, Joyce Country, last week, she wasn't the first head of state to do so. In November, 1975, former president, Cearbhall O Dalaigh, opened the co-op's lamb fattening station.
There to welcome him was a young and enthusiastic bainisteoir, or manager, by the name of Eamon O Cuiv. Last week, the Minister of State O Cuiv was able to introduce the President to many former colleagues, now constituents. The community development co-op, which celebrates 25 years, has a large parish. It serves farmers and people starting small businesses in an area extending from Leenane to Tourmakeady, according to its current bainisteoir, Aine Ni Chiarragain.
President McAleese also visited the Co Mayo village of Cong, which is synonymous with Ashford Castle, The Quiet Man and the two fine wild trout angling lakes of Mask and Corrib.
During her stay, she marked the publication of Cong: A Community Profile an 80-page document compiled over the last year by the Cong Community Development Association.
Politicians, educators and representatives of the main agencies contributed to the profile, which was carried out with the aim of identifying the effect of change on the community. Recording the history and geography of a village which has a famous cross, Inchagoill island, cairns and stone circles, a dry canal, an abbey and a castle, it noted that the population stands at 706 people.
An increase of 4.7 per cent in the population between 1991 and 1996 is attributed to the attraction of the lifestyle and the environment. At the same time, the social problems which some immigrants may be escaping from - drug taking and underage drinking - are a feature of life in Cong, it notes.
The profile identifies strengths, such as the lakes and the forestry, and weaknesses, such as the fact that too many people in the 25 to 44-year-old age group are leaving for good.
Eamon O Cuiv: former colleagues now constituents