President in emotional final visit
President Mary McAleese waves to well wishers as she leaves the St Vincent de Paul homeless centre in Dublin
President Mary McAleese has revealed she was on the verge of tears as she attended her last engagement as head of state.
In an emotional public farewell at a homeless centre in Dublin, the President said she felt gratitude and sadness in the final hours of her 14-year term.
"On the one hand it is sad but I have a great sense of gratitude," she said.
"It was just a wonderful, wonderful opportunity to waken up every morning to be the country's primary ambassador and to love every day of it."
President McAleese, with husband Senator Martin McAleese by her side, attended the St Vincent de Paul homeless centre for men in Christchurch, Dublin, in her last engagement.
She said she was unable to speak too much of her sadness at leaving office.
"If you give me two seconds I'll be in floods of tears," she said. "Gratitude and sadness are pretty much in equal measure today."
The President will move out of her residence, Aras an Uachtarain, on Thursday evening ahead of President-elect Michael D Higgins' inauguration at Dublin Castle on Friday.
Mrs McAleese's final engagement was to launch the refurbished Back Lane hostel for homeless men near Christchurch Cathedral, run by the Society of St Vincent de Paul and Depaul Ireland. Having washed dishes for the charity when she was a teenager in Belfast, the final event was particularly poignant.
President McAleese explained: "Coming out of the Back Lane Hostel, I'm just very proud of an Ireland where people care and people do so much good work. Thank God that when life renders you fragile that there are places for you that are created out of love by a bunch of strangers."
