At the opening of the new Ozanam centre in Cavan town, named after Frédéric Ozanam who in 1833 founded the St Vincent de Paul Society in France, President Michael D. Higgins praised the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Ireland over the past 170 years.
In his speech, the President said that "the ethics of friendship and the building of caring local communities which the St Vincent de Paul Society nurtures" are key to Ireland's future.
The St Vincent de Paul Society has been in Ireland since the Famine era.
