THE GREAT community effort, including the work of hundreds of volunteers in ensuring that the Tall Ships 2011 festival on Suirside will be a success, has been highlighted by mayor of Waterford Pat Hayes. Thousands of people thronged the city’s quayside for the official opening of the Tall Ships Race 2011 by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Mr Hayes told the crowd yesterday the festival was “the largest international event ever held in our city and it represents a massive opportunity for our city” to market itself to potential visitors.
After paying tribute to the business community for its generous sponsorship to cover one-third of the cost of the festival, Mr Hayes praised the many hundreds of people whose voluntary efforts were vital to staging the event.
“It’s heartening to see how everyone has Waterford’s interest at heart . . . This is the Year of The Volunteer and we have literally hundreds of volunteers and they have excelled themselves – I applaud you, you are wonderful.”
Organisers estimate that volunteers have given some 13,700 hours free – more than eight years of work – to help Waterford ensure that this year’s Tall Ships at least matches if not surpasses its first hosting of the event in 2005.
The community and public involvement in the event was evident at the Irish Craft Village, which proved a huge attraction yesterday.
Among the activities that were proving popular were basket- making, jewellery-making and printing, with many younger visitors enthusiastically trying their hands at making pirate hats and coins with paper artist Caroline Ryan and jeweller Elena Brennan.
Craft Council of Ireland chief executive Karen Hennessy said they were delighted to have featured so prominently in the festival as it gave people the opportunity to actively engage with craftmakers and appreciate the skills involved.
Opening the festival at William Vincent Wallace Plaza, the Taoiseach said the tourism and hospitality sectors must pass on the benefits of Government incentives to reduce the cost of doing business.
Mr Kenny said the Government had taken very deliberate steps to help boost tourist numbers by ending the travel tax, halving employers’ PRSI and reducing VAT in the tourism sector – but the benefits must be passed on to consumers.
Mr Kenny received an enthusiastic reception as he spoke about Waterford’s rich maritime heritage as Ireland’s oldest port.
Earlier, that rich heritage, which extends back almost 1,100 years to when the Vikings first sailed up the Suir, was recalled when MC Derek Mooney of RTÉ introduced a specially commissioned piece of music and poetry, Come the Sails, performed by the Waterford Choirs Association and featuring the work of five poets and five composers.