PRESIDENT CATHERINE CONNOLLY has called on the public to “celebrate diversity, champion sustainable solutions to the climate crisis and advocate for peaceful resolutions to war” in her first Christmas message from Áras an Uachtaráin.

In her message, President Connolly remarked that “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”.

She said that the recent winter solstice “echoes our shared human experience, offering us encouragement in difficult times and reminding us that better days always lie ahead”.

She asked the public to think of the “millions of people worldwide who are enduring the devastating impacts of interconnected crises of climate change, war, conflict, and displacement”.

President Connolly said that in particular she is thinking of the people of Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan.

“Our own history, marked by forced emigration and loss, gives us a lived understanding of the brutal realities of dispossession, hunger and war,” said President Connolly.

She added: “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.”

Meanwhile, President Connolly thanked those who “give up so much of their Christmas to serve the needs of others” in their own families and in the wider community.

She also thanked “those attending to the needs of the homeless, the vulnerable and the marginalised, our hospital workers and our emergency services”.

Uachtarán na hÉireann Connolly delivers her first Christmas Message in Áras an Uachtaráin TONY MAXWELL TONY MAXWELL

President Connolly also extended her “deep gratitude to the members of the Irish Defence Forces who will spend this Christmas overseas, safeguarding peace and protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our shared global family”.

She also said she is “particularly mindful of our diaspora”.

“There is scarcely a family on this island that does not have a story of emigration woven into its history,” said President Connolly.

“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.”

President Connolly also said she celebrates the Christmas season “acutely aware of the challenges facing Ireland and the wider world”.  

“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.”