Following in the Footsteps of Greatness – Connolly Carries the Torch from Michael D

Michael D. Higgins leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, a hard act to follow by any measure. For fourteen years, he led with empathy, and profound humanity. His lifelong advocacy for social justice, vision, equality, and the arts reshaped this nation. It was under his watch and influence that Ireland blossomed into a creative powerhouse, home to world-class artists, filmmakers, writers, and production companies, proudly placing Ireland on the global creative map once again.

 

He fought for the underdog, always, echoing the same compassion and conviction once embodied by our new President, Catherine Connolly. Long before she entered the Dáil, she too took to the streets for peace, equality, and human rights. Her journey has been one of courage, conviction, and unwavering service to others. Like Michael D. Higgins before her, he fought for those whose voices were silenced, and he made his office matter.

 

Catherine Connolly has already made history, as Ireland’s first female Ceann Comhairle, and now as President elected with the highest number of votes ever recorded. She steps into this role with a deep respect for inclusivity, dignity, and unity. Her compassion mirrors that of Michael D., and of our two remarkable female Presidents before him.

 

Her love for the Irish language shines through every speech, every action, a living thread connecting our past, present, and future. Today marks a seminal moment for Ireland as Catherine Connolly is sworn in as our tenth President.

 

Her record is one of service, advocacy and firsts. Raised in a large family in Shantalla, Galway, she trained as a clinical psychologist (University of Leeds, 1981) and later as a barrister (University of Galway, 1989; called to the Bar 1991). Her political journey began locally, elected to Galway City Council in 1999, then served as Mayor of Galway in 2004. In 2016 she became an Independent Teachta Dála for Galway West, championing equality, accountability, the Irish language, housing justice and social inclusion. In 2020 she became the first woman ever appointed Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, a milestone in our parliamentary history.

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Her campaign and advocacy reflect a blend of cultural pride and progressive values, she is a fluent Irish-speaker, has continuously pushed for the rights of marginalised people, for peacebuilding, and for a broader vision of a new inclusive republic.  

 

As she takes office, Cath­erine Connolly brings forward a promise, one island, one community, dignity for all. She honours the legacy of Michael D., and of our other female presidents, by placing empathy, integrity and inclusion at the heart of her leadership. She understands that in building peace across communities, our common humanity, and our shared culture, must come first. Her love for the Irish language ties past to future, her roots in community anchor her to the real lives of people whose stories often go untold.

 

Thank you, President Connolly, for being a steadfast voice for women, for those whose voices have been silenced, and for the hope that integrity will always win out. Today, we celebrate a woman who reminds us that empathy wins. That integrity endures. That unity, not division, is the path forward, with dignity for all.

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President Catherine Connolly’s speech ….

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“A Thaoisigh, a Phríomh Breitheamh, Airí, Baill Comhairle an Stáit, Baill an Oireachtais, Ambassadóirí, Ceannairí Eaglaise, agus daoine uaisle ar fad, chomh maith le Cead Aire an Tuaisceart Michelle Smith [O’Neill], agus ceannairí eile ó gach cearn den Tuaisceart.

Ba mhaith liom céad mile fáilte a chur roimh mo chlann freisin, atá anseo. Mo bheirt mhac, m’fhearchéile, mo dheirfiúracha, mo dheartháireacha, thaisteal siad ó cheann ceann an domhain ó Atlanta, Georgia, ó Ceanada, ó Toronto, agus míle buíochas go chuir siad an dua sin orthu féin.

I stand before you humbly and proudly as the 10th president of this beautiful country.

The people have spoken, and have given their president a powerful mandate to articulate their vision for a new republic, a republic worthy of its name, where everyone is valued and diversity is cherished, where sustainable solutions are urgently implemented, and where a home is a fundamental human right.

The change that led to this joyful day began with a small group of elected representatives and volunteers facing what appeared to be insurmountable challenges.

We were led to believe that it was too great a leap, that our ideas were too far out, too left at odds with the prevailing narrative in shared conversations all over the country. However, it became evident that the dominant narrative did not reflect or represent people’s values and concerns.

Time and time again, people spoke of how it served to silence, to other, to label, to exclude and to stifle critical thinking. Along with that, however, along with meaningful engagement, we saw the emergence of hope. We saw the emergence of joy, along with the courage and determination of people to use their voices to shape a country that we can be proud of.

As president of Ireland, I will ensure that all voices are represented, heard and valued, and promote a public discourse that nourishes inclusivity, tolerance and active citizenship.

Previous presidents faced different challenges, reflecting the dominant issues of the day.

In 1990, when Mary Robinson was elected, the parameters of geopolitics were shifting following the fall of the Berlin Wall the previous year and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. At home, Ireland was undergoing its own seismic changes, laying the foundation for a modern and inclusive society in 1997 one year before the Good Friday Agreement.

For former President Mary McAleese, she was elected in the midst of the ongoing peace process, a landmark event in shaping a shared vision for the future of Ireland.

In 2011, Michael D Higgins assumed office as a global financial collapse shook Ireland and the world. The reverberations of that crisis continue to impact upon and shape people’s lives and our economy.

Now, in 2025, as I assume the privilege of office, we face the existential threat of climate change and the threat of ongoing wars. Both, of course, are inextricably linked.

As I speak, I am acutely conscious of the 165 million people currently forcibly displaced from their homes and countries due to war, famine and climate change.

We cannot turn back the clock nor close our eyes to these realities.

These are the challenges of our times, and our actions, our inaction will determine the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.

It is both an individual and a collective challenge, and one which obliges us to reflect on the way we live and interact with our world and with each other.

It is also the responsibility of those entrusted with public office to come together, both nationally and internationally, to lead and to create the conditions for a sustainable existence on our planet.

It is significant that today is Remembrance Day, the 11th of November 2025, it is significant. It gives it significant on so many levels, but it gives us the opportunity to pause and to reflect on the horrors of war in a world where, unfortunately, we have all become witnesses to ongoing wars and genocide.

Given our history, the normalisation of war and genocide has never been and will never be acceptable to us as a sovereign, independent nation. With a long and cherished tradition of neutrality and an uninterrupted record of peacekeeping since 1958, Ireland is particularly well-placed to lead and articulate alternative diplomatic solutions to conflict and war.

Indeed, our experience of colonisation and resistance of a catastrophic man-made famine and forced immigration gives us a lived understanding of dispossession, hunger and war and a mandate for Ireland to lead.

We can and should take real pride in the success of the Good Friday Agreement, knowing that this is recognised far and wide and is a model for the peaceful resolution of conflict.

We also know that this journey of peace and reconciliation was the result of meticulous and methodical work over a long period of time, and this work continues to this day.

I look forward to paying my first official visit to the North and meeting with people from all communities and celebrating the rich and heritage and traditions of all who live there.

I am particularly conscious of Article Three of the Constitution, which sets out in detail the firm wish of the Irish people and the Irish nation to have a united Ireland, albeit with the conditions set out very clearly in that article – consent.

As President, I will foster an inclusive and open dialogue across the island in a manner that highlights and recognises our similarities and respects our differences.

I want to acknowledge our large and growing diaspora.

There is hardly a family on this island that does not have a personal experience of migration.

On every continent, our immigrants have put their ingenuity and hard work at the service of new homelands, yet they have kept their love of Ireland and its culture deep in their hearts.

I hope over the next seven years, that there will be many opportunities for me to celebrate with them and share our experiences.

I have never believed more in the spirit of this country.

Having travelled the length and breadth of the island, I have witnessed it in every county in every corner of Ireland, I have heard it in the music, the literature and the dance of our people, in the deep tradition of solidarity and decency that continues to be the dominant force behind our people.

I have felt it in the quiet dignity and stoicism of those who simply keep going despite the very real challenges that they face.

Is sibhse, muintir na tíre, cosmhuintir na tíre, a casadh orm agus mé ar fud na tíre a spreag mé, agus a spreag m’fhoireann le linn an fheachtais. Sibhse a chuaigh agus a théann i ngleic le heaspaí seirbhísí agus riachtanais gach lá beo, easpaí nár cheart a bheith fós ann i dtír atá chomh sabhair.

Spreag sibh mé le bhur ndúthracht agus bhur bhfláithiúlacht, ag roinnt bhur scéalta agus taithí liom go fial. Is sibhse a thug agus a thugann misneach dom, misneach a bhainfidh mé úsáid as anois agus a thógfaidh mé air agus mé ag obair ar bhur son mar Uachtarán.

Ar ndóigh, tá tábhacht na teanga chun anam agus spioraid na tíre a thabhairt chun cinn tuigthe agam le blianta fada anois; anam agus spioraid a bhí curtha faoi chois le blianta, bíodh sin d’aon ghnó, de bharr smacht na dtíoránach nó de bharr neamhaird, neamhchúram nó easpa tuisceanaí.

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam, agus is fíor sin, mar nuair atá a teanga múchta, ní féidir leis an tír, nó aon tír, a mianta, a luachanna nó a spioraid a chur in iúl.

Cuireadh ár dteanga, teanga ársa ár sinsir, teanga ina bhfuil spioraid ár sinsir agus nádúr ár dtíre le mothú i gchuile fhocal, sa dara háit, gan meas nó ómós tugtha di. Plúchadh croí ár muintir nuair a cuireadh stop leo úsáid a bhaint as a dteanga féin, teanga a chuireann mothúchain agus croí in iúl le chuile fhocal.

Ach scaoilimis le chéile anois leis an bhfaitíos sin. Ligfimis don Ghaeilge bláthú. Éistimis leo siúd ar fad nach bhfuil uathu ach aitheantas a bheith tugtha dóibh mar Ghaeilgeoirí ina dtír féin agus in ómós dóibh agus dúinne.

Gaeilgeoirí, Gael, agus lucht foghlama na Gaeilge, ní sa gcúinne á labhairt go híseal a bhéas an Ghaeilge san Áras ach sa chéad áit mar theanga oibre agus beidh sí á labhairt ar fud na tíre go misniúil, go fileata, go ceolmhar, faoi mar atá cloiste agam agus mé ar fud na tíre, agus dár ndóigh, déanfar í a labhairt go húdarásach agus gan aon drogall nuair is gá.

Is sibhse, muintir na tíre, cosmhuintir na tíre, a casadh orm agus mé ar fud na tíre a spreag mé, agus a spreag m’fhoireann le linn an fheachtais. Sibhse a chuaigh agus a théann i ngleic le heaspaí seirbhísí agus riachtanais gach lá beo, easpaí nár cheart a bheith fós ann i dtír atá chomh sabhair. Spreag sibh mé le bhur ndúthracht agus bhur bhfláithiúlacht, ag roinnt bhur scéalta agus taithí liom go fial. Is sibhse a thug agus a thugann misneach dom, misneach a bhainfidh mé úsáid as anois agus a thógfaidh mé air agus mé ag obair ar bhur son mar Uachtarán.

Ar ndóigh, tá tábhacht na teanga chun anam agus spioraid na tíre a thabhairt chun cinn tuigthe agam le blianta fada anois; anam agus spioraid a bhí curtha faoi chois le blianta, bíodh sin d’aon ghnó, de bharr smacht na dtíoránach nó de bharr neamhaird, neamhchúram nó easpa tuisceanaí. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam, agus is fíor sin, mar nuair atá a teanga múchta, ní féidir leis an tír, nó aon tír, a mianta, a luachanna nó a spioraid a chur in iúl.

Cuireadh ár dteanga, teanga ársa ár sinsir, teanga ina bhfuil spioraid ár sinsir agus nádúr ár dtíre le mothú i chuile fhocal, sa dara háit, gan meas nó ómós tugtha di. Plúchadh croí ár muintir nuair a cuireadh stop leo úsáid a bhaint as a dteanga féin, teanga a chuireann mothúchain agus croí in iúl le chuile fhocal. Ach scaoilimis le chéile anois leis an bhfaitíos sin. Ligfimis don Ghaeilge bláthú. Éistimis leo siúd ar fad nach bhfuil uathu ach aitheantas a bheith tugtha dóibh mar Ghaeilgeoirí ina dtír féin agus in ómós dóibh agus dúinne.

Gaeilgeoirí, Gael, agus lucht foghlama na Gaeilge, ní sa gcúinne á labhairt go híseal a bhéas an Ghaeilge san Áras ach sa chéad áit mar theanga oibre agus beidh sí á labhairt ar fud na tíre go misniúil, go fileata, go ceolmhar, faoi mar atá cloiste agam agus mé ar fud na tíre, agus dár ndóigh, déanfar í a labhairt go húdarásach agus gan aon drogall nuair is gá.

Mar fhocal scoir, I believe that the President should be a unifying presence, a steady hand, yes, but also a catalyst for change, reflecting our desire for a republic that lives up to its name.

I will embrace the role of the President with dignity, determination and courage.”

 

 

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