"Future generations will recall, I am sure, and feel grateful for, the enormous debt of gratitude we owe to all those workers who have responded to the pandemic with such courage."
Michael D. Higgins has paid tribute to frontline workers and those who have lost their lives to Covid-19 in a touching statement released to honour St Brigid's Day.
St Brigid's Day marks what many people believe to be the first day of spring, with President Higgins saying that the day marks "a celebration of the creativity, genius, courage and achievement of Irish women".
He devoted a large part of his speech to Covid-19, saying: "It is appropriate that we all pause to acknowledge the distress of all those for whom the pandemic has brought such pain and loss, and all those who are now experiencing loneliness and isolation from the contacts with those who previously sustained them."
He said: "We must all recognise, that while the justified and necessary measures to protect public health, and to which we must give an ever greater effort, it is equally important to be sensitive to the undeniable fact that they have had a profound impact on so many, and for some more than others.
"And so, as we celebrate the courage and commitment of St. Brigid in her day, we in our day pay tribute to all of those who, in their different ways, continue to put their lives at risk as they continue their important work, for the benefit of all of us, their fellow citizens.
"Future generations will recall, I am sure, and feel grateful for, the enormous debt of gratitude we owe to all those workers who have responded to the pandemic with such courage, “misneach”, such care, “cúram”, and with a spirit of solidarity, “dlúthpháirtíocht”.
"As we prepare to move into the brighter, warmer days of spring, with the renewed hope that it brings, the reality of the present, the present we share, is that the winter of the Covid pandemic is still upon us, and continues.
"The dark days of the pandemic will continue to challenge us for some time, and while lockdown fatigue is very real and palpable for so many, we must continue our journey within and muster up courage."
He finished the speech by saying: "So, today, on Lá Fhéile Bríde, as we move closer to the Spring Equinox, let us hold firm in solidarity and take solace in the transformations that Spring will bring and the joys of Summer which, although we still have some distance to travel to them, are surely awaiting us."
Take a look at the speech here:
https://twitter.com/PresidentIRL/status/1355976615738662912?s=20
A full transcript of the speech is available
here.
