The President Mrs McAleese today praised the speed and magnitude of Ireland's response to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
The President told more than 200 guests at a special reception at Áras an Úachtaran that many aid workers had sacrificed their Christmas holidays to help thousands of communities across south east Asia.
Representatives from 14 non-governmental organisations came together for the event along with Mr Dan Mulhall, Irish Ambassador to Thailand and Malaysia and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The President praised Mr Mulhall's efforts in the weeks after the tragedy and said he had become the face and heart of the Irish response to the disaster. President McAleese also planted an Irish oak tree as a reminder of the tragedy and praised aid workers, fundraisers and Government officials for their work.
"Your dedication and efforts over the holiday period represents a rich vein of compassion, which also manifested itself in the outpouring of assistance from the Irish people as a whole. I wish to thank you all," she said.
"The awesome and destructive power of nature has been equalled by the power of the people to express their basic humanity in a truly inspiring way."
The President also praised the solidarity shown by millions around the world and passed on her gratitude to many humanitarian workers who could not attend the reception.
President McAleese also called on workers to help with the emotional and mental pain left by the devastating tidal wave.
"Physical recovery is one thing but healing the psychological wounds of the many millions directly touched by this disaster will take a long time. We must turn our attention to how we can best assist these longer term needs," she said.
PA