Michael Daniel Higgins 9th President of Ireland Flag from 11 November 2011 Date of Birth: 18.04.1941 Country: Ireland

1. Early Life and Education
2. Academic and Political Career
3. Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht
4. Labour Party Presidential Candidate
5. Presidency

Early Life and Education

Michael Dan Higgins was born on April 18th, 1941, in Limerick, Ireland. His father, John Higgins, was a lieutenant in the Irish Republican Army and played an active role in the Irish War of Independence, along with his brothers Peter and Michael.

Higgins pursued higher education at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), where he became Auditor of the Literary and Debating Society in 1963. In 1964, he was elected President of the NUIG Student Union. He went on to earn a Master's degree from Indiana University in 1967.

Academic and Political Career

Higgins taught political science and sociology at NUIG. He also held a visiting professorship at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, USA. He is fluent in both official languages of Ireland, Irish and English, as well as Spanish.

Higgins initially joined Fianna Fáil while a student at NUIG but soon switched to the Labour Party. He unsuccessfully ran for Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) in 1969 and 1973.

In 1973, Higgins was appointed to Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate) by Liam Cosgrave. He was first elected to the Dáil in 1981, representing the Labour Party. He served as mayor of Galway City and County from 1982-1983 and again from 1991-1992.

Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht

In 1993, Higgins was appointed Minister for the Gaeltacht. In 1994, the ministry merged with the Department of Arts and Culture, and Higgins became Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht. He advocated for the abolition of censorship under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act and played a key role in establishing the Irish Film Board. He also promoted the Irish language on television, leading to the creation of Teilifís na Gaeilge (now TG4).

Labour Party Presidential Candidate

Higgins expressed interest in running for president as the Labour Party nominee in 2004. However, the party did not endorse his candidacy.

In September 2010, he announced his intention to run for president in 2011. He pledged to serve only one seven-year term if elected.

He was elected as the party's presidential candidate at a special congress in Dublin in June 2011. He emphasized his commitment to serving as a neutral president.

Presidency

On October 29th, 2011, Higgins was declared the ninth President of Ireland. He received a record number of votes (1,007,104), securing 56.8% of the electorate.

During his first state visit, Higgins traveled to the United Kingdom in April 2014. He was re-elected for a second term on October 26th, 2018.