The founder of the Land League, Michael Davitt, would be proud today of the country he had helped to create, but its people should not lose sight of the meaning of citizenship, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said.
Ms Hanafin made her comments yesterday when she officially opened the Parnell Summer School at Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow. The centenary of Michael Davitt's death is the theme of this year's six-day summer school.
Davitt is the "forgotten hero" of Irish history, according to the Parnell Society.
Ms Hanafin said that Davitt's message of social equality for all was as relevant as ever in multicultural Ireland and it still resonated in Irish politics today. "He had a great vision of what Ireland would become. If he was here today, he'd be very proud of today's Ireland.
"The greatest tribute that we can pay Davitt is to ensure that every single person on this island - irrespective of class, colour or creed - is given the opportunity to live the dream of freedom and prosperity which the generations before us sacrificed so much to make possible," she said.
Ms Hanafin added that the sense of community around the country at present was strong. This was something Davitt had advocated and it was important in maintaining Ireland's social fabric.
As Davitt's centenary commemorations got under way, people should renew a greater sense of ownership in the life of the country.
"At the core of Davitt's political being was the belief that a native government was necessary to build our economy and to strengthen its capacity to provide decent livelihoods for all of Ireland's people," she added.
Ms Hanafin also noted that Davitt was the first modern Irish leader to encourage women to participate in political matters.