“From Aras na Mac Leinn to Aras an Uachtarain”

Michael D. Higgins NUIG Student Card

Former Student Union President of NUIG is to become the next president of Ireland. In a dramatic turnaround, it was declared that Labour’s Michael D Higgins topped the poll with 701,101 first preference votes.
The poet and campaigner received 39.6 per cent of the vote, ahead of Independent Sean Gallagher who trailed behind with only 28.5 per cent. He received an unprecedented swing in support early last week after Mr Gallagher was publicly derailed by Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness on live television.

Michael D grew up in County Clare with his Aunt, Uncle and younger brother. He moved to Galway and spent time working in factories before getting a job in the ESB. He spoke of it as being a “wonderful time”. He made an impression on an ESB worker who gave him a £200 scholarship to go to University College Galway.

Serving as Student Union president during 1964/65 in University College Galway Michael D led over 600 students in a march to protest about poor relations between the university and the local community. 

He also served as the Chairman of the Fianna Fail cumman before a meeting with Noel Browne who convinced him to join the Labour party instead. He held the positions of Auditor within the Literary and Debating society and as editor of SIN newspaper.

He graduated in 1965 and later returned as a professor in the Faculties of Arts, Commerce, Celtic Studies and Law. He was also appointed Adjunct Professor affiliated with the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI, Galway.

Current SU President Emmet Connolly says “It’s a great day for NUIG. It gives hope to the students that they’ve come to the right place to study. It gives them optimism. Michael D has always been a friend of the students and the Students Union. He’s helped us in the past and I hope that will continue. I think he’s inspired a lot of students to get involved in the community and volunteering. It’s a good day for the college. We’re very proud. It’s also great to see NUI Galway graduates now occupying the positions of President, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Attorney-General.”

Michael D was always a favorite to win the election amongst students across the country. A poll carried out on the 6^th of October by the UCD College Tribune showed that he was the preferred candidate in five of the seven universities that took part.

NUIG students are delighted with the outcome; Masters student Aisling Crowe says “I’m happy, I think he can be a father figure to the country”, while IT student Eamonn Brophy says “He's quite a lefty which I really like. He’s anti-blood sports, anti US in Shannon and other things most politicians wont talk about or touch. He's just a pretty cool normal guy who's seen life. There's no dirt on him because he's an honest person. I think he's by far the best man for the job.”

He grabbed national attention when he protested against the visit of US President Ronald Regan in 1984. President Regan was receiving an honorary doctorate of law from UCG and at the time, Michael D condemned the US government for arming and financing the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Along with other UCG graduates, he held a “de-conferring” ceremony in Eyre square where previous recipients of honorary doctorates burnt their parchments to show their disgust at the decision of the University.

More than any public representative in the history of the Oireachtas, Michael D Higgins has campaigned tirelessly at home and abroad against the oppression of peoples, in defense of human rights and in securing justice for all.

He will be inaugurated at a state ceremony in Dublin Castle on November 11th.