IRISH people should count their blessings and put their economic woes in perspective, according to Nobel Laureate and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The South African cleric, who is on a visit to Dublin, said that while Irish people had been "extraordinarily generous" to South Africa and other developing countries there were some who had become a little greedy and selfish.
Archbishop Tutu said it was important that Irish people remembered that even though the country was experiencing financial difficulties they were still far better off than those in other countries throughout the world.
The Anglican archbishop is in Ireland to promote his charity, St Patrick’s Trust, which aids and develops entrepreneurship in South Africa.
"Where you are now in relation to where we are, there is still a great deal you will be able to do for us," he said.
The archbishop also told 300 women volunteers with the Niall Mellon Township Trust that he brought them much love from South Africa.
The women will be taking part in the charity’s one-week building blitz just outside Cape Town in South Africa next month.
It is the first time that the charity will have a female majority on the trip that will see 500 volunteers travelling out together. The aim is to complete 75 houses in one week.
Volunteers will be building houses for 649 families in the township of Mbekweni in Paarl, 60km from Cape Town
"The generosity of the Irish people has been inspirational and all involved should be incredibly proud. God bless the Irish," he said.
Later the archbishop travelled to the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Eibhlin Byrne, hosted a civic reception in his honour.
"In these troubled times Archbishop Tutu is a symbol to all of us of our need to take personal responsibility and play a role in maintaining our communities and protecting our vulnerable people," she said.
"I would like to honour him as a global icon of hope at a time when hope is very much on the line," Ms Byrne said.
The lord mayor presented the archbishop with a ‘Soul Boat’ created by Limerick artist Clodagh Reddy, and inspired by the idea in Greek mythology of the soul boat journeying to the afterlife.
Tomorrow Bob Geldof will join the archbishop in NUI Galway to hear him deliver his lecture on Aid, Justice and Charity.
The event is being organised by the university’s Literary and Debating Society and Geldof will present the society’s highest accolade, the President’s Medal, to Archbishop Tutu after the lecture.
The medal has previously been awarded to such notable figures as philosopher Noam Chomsky and former taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
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