McAleese envisages `fully pluralist society'

The role of the next President will be to bring "all of Ireland into the 21st century, the information age, as a fully pluralist society," the Fianna Fail/PD candidate, Prof Mary McAleese, said last night.

In a speech delivered in Dublin's All Hallows College, she said Ireland could achieve this without losing its identity: "Instead we should try to enhance its richness and diversity and to provide conditions in which it can flourish, far removed from the stunting experiences of the past."

Prof McAleese included Northern Ireland in many of her comments, touching on the recent controversy over her involvement in initiatives prior to the IRA ceasefire, which she said were liable to be misunderstood.

"I was glad to have been involved for a limited time in aspects of the Redemptorist Peace Mission with Father Alex Reid, who played such an important part in bringing about the first ceasefire. Mediation work is always capable of being misconstrued and misrepresented. That is what President Clinton was referring to when he praised leaders who took risks."

If elected President, she said, she would issue an open invitation to community and voluntary groups in Northern Ireland who were working to bridge the sectarian divide. "I will offer them a welcoming place where they can tell their stories, where they will be listened to with respect. I would like to offer a forum whereby these groups can exchange experiences with each other in an atmosphere of openness."

The invitation would last the seven years of her term, she added: "I recognise the alienation that many in the North feel from the South. Groups can come when they feel the time is right for them."

Prof McAleese said the new President would have to reflect a time which would be seen as Ireland's coming-of-age.

"A new vibrant age demands a President that reflects this energy and diversity. This State has a self-confidence and dynamism, the benefits of which I would equally like to see enjoyed by the North."

But the representational duties would have to embrace more than the successful. "At a time of such progress, it will be imperative that we remain conscious of those whose boats are not lifted by the rising tide. In the President's representational role, it will be imperative that there is a reaching out at home and a raising of awareness of those who remain less well off."

In the light of "rapid technological change such as the arrival of digital television and maybe hundreds of television channels," she added, Irish culture and identity would have to be championed. "Our distinct and uniquely Irish voice must be heard. I will work to ensure it is."

Prof McAleese concluded her address by saying that hers was an idealistic vision for the next seven years. "I make no apologies for that. I believe these ideals are attainable. I believe we are on the threshold of a new Ireland that draws on the past but forges its own future.

"As President, I want to help usher in this new age. I want to show the countries of the world the true face of modern Ireland - young, dynamic, imaginative and compassionate."