President Mary McAleese today paid tribute to the community work carried out by the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA).
Close to 400 guests attended a garden party at Áras an Uachtaráin this afternoon to mark the centenary of the foundation of the organisation.
The President commended the ICA for the role it had played in building strong community. She said the fact that the association had survived for so long was "a testimony to its adaptability and the investment made by its guild members in each generation."
The ICA, known originally as the Society of United Irishwomen, was started in Bree, Co Wexford, in 1910. Its aim was "to improve the standard of life in rural Ireland through education and co-operative effort".
The association is now the largest women's organisation in Ireland, with more than 15,000 members linked to local guilds in towns and villages, as well as several city-based guilds. It promotes Irish language and culture and encourages support and friendship between members through involvement in activities such as sport, drama, arts and crafts.
Ms McAleese said the ICA was the "original social network," where women of all faiths, politics, persuasions and backgrounds could find common ground.
"Those pioneering women who laid the foundation of the association in Bree in the early 20th century would, I have no doubt, be very proud of the leaders and members who steer it in these still early years of the 21st century," the President said.
"Today it is a strong and influential organisation woven so deeply into the fabric of Irish life that its place in the coming century seems assured for it has opened its heart to Ireland’s many newcomers, made them welcome and once again shown the way to a future where people care about one another, invest in one another and accompany each other on life’s journey."
