Higgins hits the right note - President address

President Michael D Higgins has hit the right note in his Christmas and the New Year address to Irish people at home and abroad. Following his State visit to the UK earlier in the year, it is indeed fair to say the people of Ireland and Britain will “no longer look at each other with doubtful eyes”.

For refugees seeking Irish citizenship, many of whom are forced to live in appalling conditions of overcrowding and virtual imprisonment, his reference to the recent presidential visit to Africa will strike a note of hope because, in a sense, the President could be seen as aiming his comments at this allegedly Christian country’s harsh policy towards them. So impressed was he by the offers of shelter to those fleeing persecution or hunger, that he described it as an issue that should involve us all.

Is it asking too much of the Irish authorities to heed his moving depiction of the predicament of men, women and children from neighbouring countries forced to leave behind their homes, communities and livelihoods to seek refuge in their neighbour’s territory? After all, as he succinctly put it, Christmas is “when so many of us come together with family and friends in a spirit of sharing and celebration. It is an opportunity to revive hope and anticipation, which can encourage us, including those who may be feeling distressed or lonely, to look beyond the long dark nights, to the promise once again, of the dawning light of spring”.