Farwell to a rare politician and president!

 

As Michael D. steps away from the presidency, here's a short colyoomistic excerpt from my first gentle encounter with him, way back in 1993.

 

I'm glad to say we worked together, successfully and happily, several times since this interview...

 

Double Vision - October 1993

By the way, what does the ‘D’ stand for?

 

'Michael D. Higgins floats a spoonful of whipped cream on top of his coffee. The Piano Bar of Murray’s Salthill Hotel provides an other-worldly atmosphere of times gone by, and the present Minster for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht offers the same.

 

At a time when politicians are rarely anything more than pendulums, swung this way and that by public opinion, Michael D. offers a flashback to the days when people had principles and opinions, which they were not shy of airing in fiery manner.

 

At first glance he appears more elfin than ministerial, but as he sits, he rubs his hands over his face, pushing them hard down over his head, and the person that emerges is ready for action.

 

It is the movement of a tired man, which he repeats several times over the course of the evening. I resist the urge to send him off home to bed.

 

Michael D. speaks with fluidity and conviction. He may be small of stature but he is not someone who can hide in a corner. Throughout the interview many who pass feel at liberty to say ‘Hello!’, and he responds to them all by name.

 

For someone doing what is essentially an inhuman job, he retains an accessibility that many others have lost, or never had.'

 

©Charlie Adley

11.11.2025