President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin attended a function in Strabane’s Alley Theatre hosted by Strabane Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning past as part of a day-long tour to celebrate the success of community projects in the Strabane and Castlederg area.

Saluting the “sterling Strabane words” spoken in the opening speech by Vice-President of Strabane Chamber of Commerce, Joe Barber, Mrs McAleese said that it was ‘ironic’ that the town’s vision for the future included building two foot bridges which would reach across the border and not only link but benefit both communities in Lifford and Strabane.

“In 1997 the plan was to build bridges between communities, I didn’t mean that literally but the community in Strabane has shown that the most important way to do this is to utilize your energy by bringing both communities into each other’s orbit and each other’s lives.

“Look at this building here today (Alley), it’s modern, vibrant and shows off a new confidence in Strabane. With all the doom and gloom in the media, we must remind ourselves where we have come from...The story of Strabane is a story of transcendence, you have a plan and if your plan comes to flourish we will all benefit on this island of Ireland.”

The President moved on to visit staff and pupils in Gael Scoil Ui Dhochartaigh, the town’s only Irish language school in Ballycolman estate to officially unveil a plaque for its tenth anniversary which was celebrated last year.