President Catherine Connolly has highlighted international conflicts and climate change in her first Christmas message.
The President said she is holding the millions of people across the world who are affected by crises such as climate change, war, conflict and displacement in her thoughts this Christmas.
She also said her thoughts are with families who will experience fear, uncertainty or loss this Christmas – particularly the people of Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan.
“Christmas is, above all, a season of goodwill and it is a time when we look forward with anticipation to a new year filled with possibility and hope,” said Ms Connolly in her first Christmas message as President following her inauguration in November.
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“In these final days of December, as we pass through the winter solstice and witness the darkest day of the year, slowly but surely the days will lengthen again,” she said.
“This natural rhythm echoes our shared human experience, offering us encouragement in difficult times and reminding us that better days always lie ahead.”
She said Christmas “invites us to reflect on the values that truly matter; kindness, tolerance, respect for each other’s differences and to reflect on how we may nurture our shared humanity”.
“We think of those who are missing loved ones, those who may be struggling or without a home, those who are ill, and those who feel alone and lonely,” she added.
She said she also thinks about those who give up their Christmas to serve the needs of others, such as carers, those who attend the needs of the homeless, the vulnerable and the marginalised, and hospital workers and emergency services.
She also extended “deep gratitude” to members of the Irish Defence Forces who will spend Christmas overseas, away from their loved ones.
“Our own history, marked by forced emigration and loss, gives us a lived understanding of the brutal realities of dispossession, hunger and war,” she said.
“I am particularly mindful of our diaspora at this time of year. There is scarcely a family on this island that does not have a story of emigration woven into its history.
“We are deeply proud of all of you, your achievements, your contributions across the world, and we send our warmest good wishes to you wherever you may be on this Christmas Day,” said the President.
“We celebrate this Christmas season acutely aware of the challenges facing Ireland and the wider world.”
She said “now, more than ever, we must work together and use our voices to celebrate diversity, to champion sustainable solutions to the climate crisis and to advocate for peaceful resolutions to conflict and war”.
“I would like to wish each of you, here in Ireland and abroad, a very happy and joyful Christmas and a peaceful new year,” she said.
