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PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has said that a stroke he experienced earlier this year continues to affect him physically, but that he is still cognitively sharp.
Asked about his health in a doorstep interview at the National Ploughing Championships today, President Higgins said: “It’s very straightforward. On 29 February, I had a mild stroke in my office. It affected my left side. It had no effect on me cognitively.”
He said he is receiving physiotherapy to help with his balance, which was impacted, and now uses two sticks when walking.
He added: “I have, from previous times, very heavy arthritis, so the combination of all these occasionally means that I can’t run quite like I did.”
The President also thanked everyone for their concern.
“The people of Ireland have been wonderful, kind, considerate and appreciative of the fact that I need, in fact, to go to a seat in a different stadium a bit slower.
“But their enthusiasm and mind for sport remains the same.”
During a speech at the Ploughing Championships today, President Higgins said it was wonderful to see so many young people in attendance.
“It is they who will make the changes we need. Their presence here is a testament to the enduring importance of farming and rural life in Ireland, but is also a reminder that our shared future depends on them.
We must ensure that we leave them a world that is sustainable, prosperous, and at peace.
In a message for the people of Laois today, the President said: ”Appreciate the sun. Be kind to each other. And may your kindness exceed the suns beyond today.”
Later this week, he will travel to New York to address the Summit of the Future, where he will “concentrate especially on what shape a United Nations needs to have to be genuinely representative of the peoples of the world in all their diversity”.
He said there he will emphasise the role of food producers in creating a sustainable and peaceful world.
“According to the latest Global Report on Food Crises, dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year – the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened. In Sudan alone, half of the country’s population of 50 million are now facing food insecurity and famine,” said President Higgins.
“UNICEF has told us the recent severe drought that has impacted large swathes of Southern Africa has resulted in almost 300,000 children being threatened by severe acute malnutrition in the six drought-affected countries.”
These challenges, he says, are exacerbated by the debt many countries harbour and lack of spending on necessities.
“How shameful it is that this is taking place in a world where military expenditure has soared to unprecedented levels, reaching $2.44 trillion in 2023—the highest ever recorded,” he said.
“When one thinks of what could be achieved if such sums were not deferred to preparations for war.”
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The richest country in Europe again depending on charity and volunteers to solve a crisis the people who govern us will ramble back mid January with no vision and same mantra thank god for these wonderful volunteers who have worked free over the Christmas with donations from ordinary decent people to keep these vital services going and doing the work of politians
@Stephen Byrne: any country in Europe who don’t have charities? Charities that exponentially increase their activity during Christmas?
@Stephen Byrne: if it was easy for politicians to spend taxpayers money on every good cause I gather they would
@Stephen Byrne:
More then 24 differant “homeless” charity’s in Dublin alone. Employing over 700 people offering below that number in beds.
Time to clean up the charitie industry.
Then the money donated wll go to the ones who need it.
@Darius Guppy: An excellent example is GoBanyo in Germany, founded by a formerly homeless man, he brought the Duschbus to the streets.
Kitted out with three private bathrooms, one wheelchair accessible, people can look after their personal hygiene.
@Temp Stuff: Instead the fools squander it on bike sheds, bus stops fax machines, travel etc. Don’t mention the hospital. If there was any accountability in this kip, heads would roll and dubious reputations laid to rest.
Jaysus, Glen Hansard would show up at the opening of a phone box
@Niall Boyle: Jaysus, this same comment shows up every year on this same article.
Nearly 15000 people homeless in Ireland now, thanks people for voting Ff and FG back in government, well done.
@Bills n Stuff: And horribly high numbers in the six counties, too.
@Bills n Stuff: you’re welcome
@Bills n Stuff: 15,000 living in FREE ACCOMODATION.
@Bills n Stuff:
Less then a thousand people in the country sleep on the streets. And there is a bed in a hostal for all of them.
Father Mc Ferry? Has stated on radio that when they send out a van to collect someone, by the time they get there someone will have given the person a tent, a sleeping bag, and sandwiches and they are no longer interested in heading back to the hostal.
@Athena: How much did they squander on a Children’s hospital? Nothing.
Little wonder they don’t want anything to do with this 26 pantomime.
Eh you forgot to mention the little known Dermot Kennedy who also showed up to play some tunes!
Government spending money on everything but the homeless and especially on themselves with exorbitant pensions salaries and expenses
@Pauline Cahill:
This is a great chance for the lefty left and Typhoid Mary to pull a good news story by living on the average industrial wage and donating the differance to a homeless charity.
Bunch of chancers will go home to their big homes in the nicer parts of Dublin and preach to the rest of us for the rest of the year.
What happened to the surplus home sweet home money donated.
We were promised the accounts would be made public a number of years ago.
Glen Hansard and age gaps with the women he’s with are very suspect, especially your own from Once. Would rather not have him celebrated still
@Lewis Armstrong: try that again.
@Philip Kennedy: he was being polite. Theres a persistent rumor that Hansard is a creep and dated underage girls in his 30s, allegedly..
Temp stuff a home is an necessity and if previous governments were doing their job 15000 people wouldn’t be homeless of which over 4000 are children how are your kids tonight volunteers work aloside people earning big money
@Stephen Byrne:
Yunkies, drunks and wife beaters are not intitled to taxpayers money. That’s the job of charities.
@H Woo: What a pathetic comment.
The Cranberries dedicated their song Linger to Glen Hansard. He’s akin to that silent flatulence after a spud dinner that just won’t go away.
have your say