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IT’S ALMOST THE end of an era.
On Friday, Ireland will choose a new president, bringing Michael D. Higgins’ 14-year tenure to a close.
You can’t say it’s been a quiet period to hold the highest office in the country. Since he was first elected in 2011, Ireland has weathered a recession recovery, a global pandemic, trade tensions and four general elections, all with Higgins as the figurehead in Áras an Uachtaráin.
Soon after being elected, Higgins promised a presidency of “ideas”, one that, as he put it, would “enable everybody to be part of and proud of.”
Reflecting on his time in the Áras earlier this year, the 84-year-old president told reporters that he had been thinking about the themes that shaped his time in office: “I would like to repeat my belief that words and how they are used matter – and that the ideas which they draw on matter.”
Known for his outspoken views and his belief in values-driven politics, Higgins has sometimes drawn criticism for his interventions on global issues.
Yet his warmth, intellect, and authenticity, especially with younger generations, have made him one of the most popular figures in modern Irish public life – from ‘Miggledy’ T-shirts to tea cosies, he’s inspired a kind of affectionate cultural fandom rarely seen in Irish politics.
This week, as his presidency nears its end, we asked readers to share their reflections and memories of Michael D. Higgins’ time in office.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to get in touch. Here’s what you told us.
A number of you got in touch to praise Higgins’ outspokenness during his tenure.
Several readers also said it’s hard to imagine the presidency without him, and that after 14 years, Higgins and the office itself have become almost inseparable.
Kallan Plunkett, a 23-year-old from Cabra in north Dublin, said that Higgins has served as President for “as long as I have been aware of politics” (Kallan would have been just nine years old when Higgins first took the Áras gig).
“In my opinion, he was the best man for the job,” Kallan said.
“A small man with a big voice, his outspoken comments on Gaza, the housing crisis, civil and human rights have been a welcome addition to the usual political noise.
“I admire him as he seems to be one of – if not the only – political figure who can speak with humanity about the major issues facing Ireland and to a greater extent, the world,” he added.
He was always able to slice through the humdrum of party politics.
Tom McSweeney said that Higgins is “very much liked by young people.”
“My two daughters loved him while growing up over the last fourteen years,” he added.
Another reader praised Higgins for “daring to speak up about a few things that genuinely needed to be said.”
Joseph Gorman, a retired Defences Forces veteran from Westmeath, described Higgins as “the best president ever”.
“I always had the greatest respect for our commander,” Gorman added.
Others voiced criticism for Higgins “not connecting” with the public.
“He was too old to begin with, he wasn’t not in touch with the people before his election and he still is not after 14 years,” Sonya from Dublin told us.
“I can only say thank God it’s over. David Norris would have been a better choice – younger, more charismatic and more in tune with people in general.”
A lot of you also got in touch to praise Higgins’ advocacy for the Irish language, culture and the arts over the last 14 years.
One reader went as far as to anoint him ‘Ollamh Érenn’, the historic title for a poet or bard of literature and history used in Middle Ages Ireland.
“At a time when politicians have become vapid managers, rendering the complexity and beauty of people and the natural world into “GDP go up” monoculture, President Higgins has consistently spoken to deeper truths about who we are, and who we could be, in this uncertain world,” the reader added.
Another Donegal reader told us he was also proud of Higgins’ regular use of the Irish language.
“Bhí mé iontach bródúil I gconaí as a úsáid Ghaeilge , agus an líofacht a thaispéan sé intí,” the reader said.
Joe Campbell described Higgins as “a man of culture”, adding that his status as a Gaelgeoir means that “we can be proud of our president – not embarrassed like other nations.”
Another reader, Gearóid Fitzgerald, put it similarly:
From promotion of the arts to encouraging the current resurgence of Gaeilge, he has been a constant light of positivity and encouragement over the last 14 years.
Higgins remains outspoken on issues such as the genocidal war on Gaza, and has delivered speeches at arenas such as the United Nations and the World Food Forum.
He’s been vocally critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza over the last two years, and has faced international backlash for this – though this has not deterred him from speaking out.
Higgins has also faced criticism at home for this – several readers told us about their frustrations about his comments on Israel.
One anonymous reader from Cork claimed that Higgins “has turned Ireland’s ceremonial presidency into a personal platform for hostility toward Israel.”
“His language goes far beyond legitimate criticism of policy — it repeatedly singles out Israel with moral fury while showing no comparable outrage toward the world’s real genocidal regimes,” the reader added.
Another reader, Stephen Kearon, said that “many believe his language and framing have gone well beyond legitimate political disagreement.”
Time and again, he used the office as a megaphone for his personal worldview, weighing in on international affairs without mandate or restraint.
“It is hard to ignore the stark imbalance: relentless condemnation of a democracy while despots in places such as Cuba and Iran receive indulgence or outright praise,” Kearon added.
Ronan McKeon added: “The President’s powers are very limited and a speech on Gaza or anything else by a President is, for all intents and purposes, not much more powerful than a letter to the Irish Times Letters Page.”
Others praised his bluntness on foreign affairs.
“He was outspoken and brave in regard to Gaza and pushed boundaries of what the definition of the President of Ireland can do,” Gearóid Fitzgerald said.
Peter Elst, who moved to Ireland four years ago, said that he has “followed him closely” since moving here, adding that “my admiration has only grown”.
“Especially in recent months, he continuously spoke out about the horror of genocide and the need for action, showing real courage in maintaining a moral compass even when it would have been much easier to stay quiet given obvious geo-political tensions,” Elst said.
Many of you also shared your personal experiences meeting and writing to President Higgins in recent years.
Elst said that, while he never met Higgins in person, he “got a kind reply to a letter my family sent to the Áras on behalf of our two-year-old, which we still cherish today.”
Fahmeda Naheed, who lives in Cork, said that she had “the honour” of meeting him twice in person, and “both occasions left a lasting impression on me.”
“I felt a deep connection with him and his wife, Sabina,” Naheed said, adding that “they truly complement one another”.
Naheed had given Higgins some small gifts during her meetings with the President, and also gifted him a card with a short poem she wrote during the last visit this year.
The poem read as follows:
“As a migrant, I came to Ireland over a decade and a half ago,
Made Rebel Cork my home.
I understood love through you — real, natural, pure, and true.”
She added that, after the visit, her colleagues “wanted to shake hands with me because I shook hands with him!”
As a migrant, I have met many people, but the most-loved man I have ever heard people speak of is Michael D. Higgins.
Ann Marie Hogan said that she voted for him after a chance encounter outside Croke Park in 2011.
“I said to him, ‘I will vote for you because you weren’t too big for your boots to ask me’, and I think that sums up his humility and his self-effacing persona,” she added.
Claire Keogh, whose first time meeting Higgins was during his time as a lecturer in UCD, described him as “articulate, passionate, and deeply thoughtful”.
“He was a person of vision and moral conviction. Even then, it was clear he possessed the qualities of a great leader,” Keogh added.
Another reader described a visit from Higgins to Donegal in 2022.
“I, and all of North West Donegal, will never forget his dedication to mourning the victims of the Creeslough gas explosion tragedy,” the reader said.
“Not only did he personally visit the village at the time of the incident, but took residence in the area so he could attend the wakes and each of the funerals over a period of a number of days.
“Táim cinnte ní bheidh a leithead ann arís,” the reader added.
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