Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
The following is the full text of the address given by Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Dublin Castle today for the inauguration of Michael D Higgins as the ninth President of Ireland.
A Chairde,Today, we inaugurate the ninth President of Ireland. Uachtarán na hÉireann… Michael Daniel Higgins.
Through his long years in the service of our people in the name of democracy, for the good our country, he has given truth to the Irish saying, Ní uaisleacht gan subhailce. There is no nobility without virtue.
Michael D Higgins is indeed a noble man of quiet virtue who will bring that nobility of heart and mind and spirit to the office of the President to all his endeavours in the name of Ireland and the Irish people. His authenticity as poet, philosopher, patriot and policitian, as a democrat, republican, husband, father will resonate across this country and around the world.
A real Republican at the head of his greatly-desired ‘real Republic’, by his own declaration, Michael D Higgins will be a President of healing and transformation. And if it’s true what they say – that a wound heals from the margins in – then our new President will be a powerful healer.
Because he has fought for the marginalised, supported the marginalised, been the voice of the marginalised throughout his public life. And today he is the centre, he is our President with a powerful mandate of over a million people throughout this island with the warm good wishes of 70 million members of our Diaspora throughout the world. Indeed a ‘President for all the people’.
During his tenure Ireland will mark the centenary of various versions of what and who we have been… The Lock-Out, the Easter Rising, the First World War, the Battle of the Somme. President Higgins is eminently suited to oversee the commemoration of these events and their legacy.
And as he takes Office, he holds not just our hearts but our hopes and our dreams. Indeed, a particular dream that saw our people reject a particular idea of wealth, the caisleán gortach – the famished castle – with its cardboard crenellations.
To embrace instead the idea, the possibility of comhluadar, a modern meitheal, our building of that ‘real republic’, real community of what it is, and what it means to be, Irish.
A Republic and its people, defined not by greed or power or wealth but by the quieter, deeper, more authentic elements: Of respect, virtue, of love and duty to our country and to each other as together we take on the difficult task of national recovery, national renewal.
It would be remiss of me if I were not to recognise the outstanding and extraordinary contribution of President Mary McAleese, a President who brought such warmth, dignity and grace to that office and to the people.
I know she will join with me in wishing the ninth President of Ireland the best as he, in his way, further deepens the appreciation of the Uachtarántacht.
Today, the Áras will have a new family. Michael D, Sabina, Alice Mary, Michael Junior, John and Daniel.
Today, Ireland has a new President, Michael D Higgins, to whom I wish every luck and joy, every health and happiness, in his work and in his tenure of office.
Tá fear ón Iarthar taghta chun chinn. Ráth Dé ort san am atá le teacht. Go nEirí leat a uachtaráin.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Shows how incredibly removed he is from empathy with other humans and he’s an influencer? That’s worrying.
@Deborah Behan: if you’re being “influenced” by the like of him you need a reality check.
@Bourbon: Fool!
@Matt Beaumont: why?
‘Troll attention wh0re does something that outrages Twitter allowing journal to post same story twice in 2 days with different headlines for more clicks’ This will be 2018 journalism in a nutshell.
Not once did he make any effort to help the person. It was just a nature documentary for him. Stop letting your kids watch this tripe.
@Liam Byrne:
What exactly do you think he could have done to help the person?
@Liam Byrne: The guy was dead since that morning so there wasn’t much he could have done.
@Brian Ward: well, there was a lot more he could have done – nothing to save that persons life, but he could have called the authorities instead of filming and joking around!
@meatyslaps: He did call the police or rather he asked his guide to call the police.
@Walt Jabsco: Maybe not film them?
@Brian Ward: how did he know he was dead. Is he a physician. He had no idea how long he was there.
@Tom Tom:
I’m not defending him – filming the victim was in extremely bad taste and he fully deserves the public backlash he’s getting.
I’m just asking what exactly Liam thinks should have been done that would have helped the victim. Not much as far as I can see.
@Liam Byrne: The guide that was with hi said that the victim was there since morning so I assume (since the victims features were pixeled out) that it was obvious that he or she was dead for some time.
@Brian Ward: so it sounds like the guide found the body earlier and then brought the guy to it?
@Brian Ward: what could he have done? How about donating ALL the money he received in click-commission from his advertisers to a suicide-prevention charity?
FFS even his ‘Apology’ video is making him heaps of $$$ in advertising revenue!
@Dave O Keeffe: No, it sounds more like that this wasn’t the first time the guide had found a dead body and knew the signs of rigor mortise. He even says that a friend of his killed himself a few years back. The body was hanging so i am assuming that there was definite signs that it had happened long before the crew got there.
Anyway what does it matter? What really matters is that this Logan clown didn’t even have the decency to take off the ridiculous Pokemon hat that he was wearing after finding the body, his crew members couldn’t stop snig-gering and Logan some how makes it all about him and not the victim. Any decent human being would have shown much more respect in such tragic circumstances and made it about raising awareness of mental health and suicide rather than making a show to boost his own ego and ratings.
@Dave O Keeffe: I actually posted my last reply about 2 hours ago but the Journals word filters apparently consider the word s n i g g e r i n g to be offensive! The obviously have their filters set at the top snowflake level.
@Brian Ward: The filters are obviously automated, and it is quite obvious as to why it was blocked.
@Brian Ward: I always thought it was snickering
@Brian Ward: I don’t understand what you’re arguing about, I only asked a question. I am not going to watch the video because that helps this s(umbag
He’s got one of those heads you’d love to punch. Bellend
Ar$ehole – Youtube should get some criticism too, they should not have allowed it to go live.
@Eddie O’Neill: I think that the problem there is that there are so many videos being uploaded every second that YouTube can’t watch and verify every single one of them. They have to wait until someone flags it and then take it down.
@Brian Ward: it was flagged and YouTube manually reviewed it, said it was OK and placed it on the trending page.
@Richard Flynn: Ah well in that case the reviewer should get a bollicking.
Note how YouTube and Google have released a statement condemning it, but this video was on the top ten trending list 2 days ago. YouTube handpick their trending videos!
Just shows they would have had no problem monetising this if there hadn’t been a large public outcry. Now they are pretending they are just as outraged, they ignored their own terms of use policies for their golden boy. Makes me ashamed the lows people are willing to stoop to for a few clicks
@Cian Rynne: not to mention all the other very many violent horrible videos available on YouTube as it stands.
It’s so sad that this mans actions that were wrong are the focus and not a Forrest that is known for suicide. I see our government and agencies patting each other on what is a brilliant thing that less people dies on our roads. Will we have any one with the balls to tell us what our suicide rate is nationally and is it on the rise or falling. Having lost friends and family to suicide people in the right place are afraid to talk about the numbers
This story was run a few days ago on the journal
@Nick Allen: thanks for the heads up
Absolute braindead pri!!k that knows f all about living in the real world..
Most worrying aspect this was the support he received from his young fan base the defended him.
@Grimm: kinda makes you think what the youth of today are going to be like as adults…. mindless lil sheep.
It’s the media making a fuss , the guy apologized FFS
This moran should be prosecuted, teach this selfish git a lesson….
@Johnnie Sexton: For what? He might be an ahole but I doubt he broke any laws.
@Johnnie Sexton: Don‘t allow your children to watch that knob anymore!
No viewers, no money for the moron!
Plain and simple
You know your fooked when you piss off Japan!!!
@Warren Collier: you’re
have your say