Warm welcome for my President deeply moving

I am not averse to emotion, so l was lumpy-throated and dewy-eyed when president Michael D Higgins visited Britain recently.

The warmth of the welcome for him was heartfelt and genuine; I was deeply moved. We can pooh pooh pomp and ceremony and question its relevance today, but when such displays are in honour of the president of my country, a small island on the edge of Europe, and staged by a host country with which we have had a fractious history, it has a new significance.

The President’s speeches were delivered proudly, eloquently and with deep conviction. Higgins is a remarkable ambassador for Ireland, and his wife, Sabina, also played her part.

That visit will surely be one of the highlights of his presidency. His gentle, passionate presence endeared him to all. The concert in his honour in the Royal Albert Hall was the icing on the cake; words fail me in expressing the pride I felt in being Irish, as I witnessed that wonderful event, which was a celebration of Irishness par excellence. President Higgins has left his mark on an important process. We would be foolish to regard it as anything more than a tiny step forward, but the visit succeeded, in a few days, in advancing the slow, tortuous journey to healing of two neighbouring islands.

Marion Horgan

Cobh

Co Cork