It is a great pleasure to join with you today as you celebrate and publicly acknowledge success, innovation and acumen in business here in Ballincollig.
Some of you will be present tonight when I am addressing the Cork Chamber of Commerce. However, on my brief visit this afternoon I would like to take the opportunity to commend the Association for reintroducing these important awards.
They acknowledge and celebrate in a very fitting way the talent, hard work and motivation that lie at the heart of business success stories here in Ballincollig. Today’s recipients possess the qualities needed to adapt and thrive in these very challenging times in their line of business. And I would like to congratulate each one.
Today I would also like to salute the dedication and hard work of the Association in giving a voice to the business community of Ballincollig and in promoting the town and its commercial and community life.
I understand that the Association represents 90 businesses. As such it represents 5,000 people with a big contingent in EMC and VM ware. It is hard to believe that 40 years ago Ballincollig was a village, with a long history, as the gate way to the Lee Valley and North West Cork. It was dominated by an Army Barracks. While the closure of the Barracks was difficult - it freed up a huge site which led to the rejuvenation of the town.
By being designated a satellite town of Cork great expansion took place in the intervening years and it has since grown into a bustling centre of 20,000 - larger indeed than many county towns! Yet there is still a great sense of community spirit, and sense of place also. Among other things, your success in the Tidy Towns competition testifies to that. The business community is, of course, the life blood of our economy. And the work you do is vital to Ballincollig, to Cork and to our prosperity going forward.
I have just returned from Brussels where discussions on a resolution to the euro crisis took place. Solving this crisis will of course be critical for the entire eurozone and beyond it.
At the Council meeting we were successful in putting growth and jobs firmly onto the European agenda.
At President Van Rompuy’s request, I introduced the discussion on SMEs, focussing steps we are taking at national level to develop and empower this sector as the engine of growth and recovery.
In the coming weeks the Government will be launching a Micro Finance Loan Fund for small enterprises and introducing a Temporary Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme to help commercially viable businesses that are having difficulty securing credit in current market conditions. We’ll also be publishing an Action Plan on Jobs. It will target a range of sectors that have the capacity to grow such as manufacturing, agri-food, digital games, ICT and tourism. It will also target other national competitiveness issues.
It is essential that future solutions to fiscal problems start to encourage more growth, more jobs, more exports.
Our export sector is vital to our current prospects and future success. Exports are at record levels and strong performances are being made across a range of areas.
Here in Ballincollig, your two excellent secondary schools, Coláiste Cholm, and Ballincollig Community School are preparing young people for the challenges ahead. With UCC and CIT nearby, it is good to hear that a very high number of local students go on to third level and will in the future join our well-educated workforce.
Of course I’ve learned also that the students didn’t only excel academically. Being a fan of football, I can’t let the moment pass without commending the 4 playing members of the Cork All-Ireland football winning side of 2010 namely Ciaran Sheehan, Daniel Goulding, Patrick Kelly and John Miskella who went to secondary school here. I’m only doing that because the vanquished weren’t wearing red and green!!! Seriously though I am sure you are very proud of their achievements – as indeed you are of all the young people here. They are your and our future.
However, today is about shining a light on success in business. And I congratulate again each of the recipients in the various categories. Each of you exemplify what can be achieved. You are an inspiration to others I am sure that your success will motivate you to achieve even greater things in the future. Well done. You deserve every success with your endeavours.
Thank you.