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Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Michael D Higgins showed having a vocal president can be risky. Has the public had enough?
Those considering contesting the Irish presidential election this year should reflect on the response of President Michael D Higgins when asked in 2012 about the potential for expanding the reach of his office beyond the efforts of his predecessors: 'I can go a little bit further'. He certainly did that, to the delight of some and the dismay of others. His interventions on domestic and foreign policies went much further than 'a little bit'. Concerning housing, he even accused the Government in 2022 of being a 'star performer for the speculative sector internationally'. His approach has ensured that during the coming election, questions will be raised as to whether the next president can or should continue with this style and tone. I mention style and tone because the constitutional provisions relating to the presidency have not been altered and few suggest they should be. The standard historical narrative is that sleepy, honorary doctorate-style presidencies were only interrupted briefly by the furore in 1976 when Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh resigned after being egregiously insulted by the minister for defence, and that from 1990 Mary Robinson spearheaded a new dynamic. Having advocated a more active presidency, Robinson, after her victory, insisted: 'I have a mandate for a changed approach within our Constitution.' She delivered on that and her successor, Mary McAleese, found a distinct path too, both of them occasionally ruffling feathers. READ MORE But aspects of the presidency have always been contentious. Civil servant Michael McDunphy, secretary to the first president, Douglas Hyde, from 1938-45, firmly protected the interests of Hyde and rowed with Michael Moynihan, secretary to the government, who sought to cut off McDunphy's direct access to the taoiseach. Erskine Childers, elected in 1973, was systematically censored by the coalition government of that era for perceived straying into supposedly prohibited areas of social and economic policy and was prevented from convening the 'think tanks' he desired. Patrick Hillery's two terms from 1976-1990 were not lethargic, despite the traditional narrative. True, his stated aim was to fulfil his duties with 'the minimum of self-projection', but he also complained his office was underfunded, which curtailed him, and that his activities were underreported. Not that Hillery wanted controversy. He once observed that the most important use of presidential powers 'was sometimes not to employ them at all.' That was certainly how the originators of the office saw the job, as underlined by Dáil debates in May 1937 about the new Constitution. As leader of the government, Éamon de Valera fended off accusations that the proposed presidency was, in the words of Fine Gael TD James FitzGerald-Kenney, about 'smoothening the road within the Constitution for a dictatorship.' De Valera insisted the role of president would be mostly about putting a 'signature to something ... which has really been done by someone else ... He has to be interested in the broad politics as far as the State as a whole is concerned, but he should not be involved in what you might call party politics or in matters where there are differences of party view ... If he were to interfere unnecessarily he would be a very foolish man indeed.' Contrast that with the priorities of President Higgins, who has spoken loudly and often critically about abortion, defence policy, tax cuts and the European Union, but has also crafted cerebral reflections on history, memory, sociology, arts and identity in a way that established a meaningful connection with many. This was hardly a surprise coming from someone described by a journalist in 2004 as 'the most passionate man in Irish politics'. Should passion be left at the door of the Áras by the person who, according to the Constitution, 'takes precedence over all other persons in the state' and who promises to devote their 'abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland'? In 1990, former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald ruled out being a candidate because, 'I do not want to spend the next 14 years saying only anodyne things'. In 1997, former minister for health Noël Browne described the presidency as 'a glass cage, or even a goldfish bowl'. But Higgins has argued it is for the people to decide if they want 'a silent person, a puppet or whether they want a President'. The cost of a vocal presidency is occasional controversy. What will not change is something also highlighted in 1937 by de Valera: 'the powers in the legislative domain are the chief powers' – not the presidential powers. That does not render the presidency irrelevant; the office and the associated election campaigns generate a focus on who and what we would like to symbolise our republic. The history of the office suggests that can involve creative, if risky, reimagining. It is ultimately for the electorate to decide if it has had enough of that or not.
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on diaspora voting: broaden the franchise for presidential elections
The question of whether Irish citizens living abroad and in Northern Ireland should be allowed to vote in presidential elections has lingered for too long in the realm of deferral and indecision. This is despite previous commitments on the matter and the importance of the office for many Irish people who live outside the State but still identify with the nation. Only citizens ordinarily resident in the jurisdiction may vote in national elections. This excludes over a million Irish-born people living overseas and an even larger number in Northern Ireland who have a right to Irish citizenship. The rationale for this has traditionally rested on the idea that only those who live with the consequences of State policy should have a say in shaping it. But the presidency is not a policy-making office. It is a symbolic and unifying institution, often acting as a bridge between Ireland and its global citizens. Every president since Mary Robinson has embraced that role. The office embodies not only the State but the wider idea of the Irish nation. There is a strong argument that the franchise should reflect the broader Irish family, including those who have left. Extending voting rights to Irish citizens living north of the Border would be an act of constitutional generosity consistent with the spirit of the Belfast Agreement. It would recognise them as part of the national community without prejudicing their political preferences. READ MORE A referendum on the issue was announced in 2017 with cross-party support. It was delayed by Brexit and then shelved during the pandemic. Since then, political will has quietly dissipated. The Government now appears unwilling to reignite the debate, despite previous commitments and strong support from diaspora organisations. Minister of State for the Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said this week that the Government was concerned a referendum on the issue could be defeated if there was insufficient debate and consultation in advance of the vote. But it is in the Government's own gift to start that process. It should do so without further delay.
Irish Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Post
The unanswered questions of Irish presidential elections
LATER this year Ireland will elect a new president. By Ireland, of course, I mean the twenty six county Republic of Ireland which takes its name from the whole island — a little unfairly you might think if you live in Northern Ireland, the portion in the north east which remains part of the United Kingdom. We in this northern part will not have a vote on the presidency. That's OK by me though others are campaigning strongly for us to be included. There have been times when the current president, Michael D Higgins has cheered me by saying the things that much of the country felt needed said, particularly in his criticism of Israel's management of its war in Hamas and the heedless slaughter of Palestinian civilians. There have been times when he has seemed gauche and tactless, even unduly irascible, but then he is human and no one can be note-perfect every time. He has changed the terms on how a president functions. Essentially the holder of that office should be a figurehead representing the people of Ireland but only with the consent of the government of the time. The president should be like a British monarch, impressive and engaging and yet somehow devoid of any but the most anodyne opinion. That hasn't been sustainable. Past presidents made significant impacts just through being elected or through the rituals of office. Mary Robinson, the first woman president, signalled a change in the character of modern Ireland with essentially, a fillip to feminism and the status of 'na Mná na hÉireann ', the women of Ireland. She retained a traditional Irish concern for developing countries, particularly in Africa, a legacy of past Irish Catholic missionary endeavour, and she facilitated the peace process in the north by travelling there and meeting people that party politicians preferred to distance themselves from. Her successor, another woman, northerner Mary McAleese, welcomed the British Queen to Ireland. Elizabeth II actually bowed in reverence before a memorial to the Irish rebels who had fired on and killed British soldiers in Dublin in 1916. This was essentially a message to the British identifying people of the North that if they derided the Irish nationalist tradition they could not say that they were doing it on her behalf. Currently we have little idea who the next president might be though there is little prospect of northerners or the diaspora getting that desired vote in the short time left. Intriguing complications might arise if they did. British identifying unionists in Northern Ireland have the right, under the Good Friday Agreement, to identify as Irish and to carry Irish passports, which many do. But how might they vote in a presidential election? Most might be indifferent but some might be tempted to vote mischievously and disruptively for candidates who are unpopular in the Republic. Some might think more strategically about how they might vote to influence attitudes away from the aspiration for Irish unity. If the idea of an extended franchise was to include all the Irish resident in Britain or even across the whole diaspora, the actual home vote for a president might be a minority, even a tiny fraction, of the eligible electorate. These would then be the people with least say in who would represent the country as a national figurehead. Surely that would be a calamity. Currently we don't even know who the candidates will be. In the past, big political parties have pushed forward retired ministers, rewarding them for their service. In this spirit some think that former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should get the job; others perhaps that Gerry Adams, the former president of Sinn Féin should stand. His would be a much more controversial candidacy given his past in republicanism. Then there is a prospect, though a slight one, that the new mood of anti-immigration angst in the country, which has led to rioting on both sides of the border, might throw up a right wing racist. Some have suggested Conor McGregor, the mixed martial arts champion who was welcomed into the Oval Office and even warmly hugged by Donald Trump on St Patrick's Day. In a civil case earlier this year, McGregor agreed to a financial settlement with a woman who had alleged sexual assault - a claim he has denied and for which no criminal charges were brought. One big consideration for parties appointing candidates will be whether they want to restore the presidency after Higgins's spell as a ritual figurehead or to continue with a trend towards opinionating and seeking to influence government policy. There is an argument that the president, as elected by the people, has a duty to represent popular concern at times when a serious matter is overlooked. Unfortunately popular concern does not always express the liberal secular perspective that modern Ireland prides itself on. For now, the anti-migrant cause, despite its energy and passion, seems not to have found its spokesperson; but should such a person step up, a ready constituency is available and presumably a huge swathe of votes too. Parties nominating candidates have to ask themselves now not just who they want as president but what kind of presidency they want, a vociferous presidency in the style of Michael D Higgins or a quiet genteel, ritual, well behaved presidency that disturbs no one. See More: Ireland, President Higgins, Presidential Elections, Voters
Irish Independent
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
10 great documentaries coming to RTÉ this summer
This week, our national broadcaster unveiled its slate of summer documentaries – here are 10 of the best ones to look out for in the coming weeks and months. Unless stated, channels and broadcast dates/times are yet to be confirmed. THE PHONE BOX BABIES In 1960, three newborn babies were found abandoned, two in phone boxes, one in a car, in Drogheda, Dundalk and Belfast. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. Fifty years later, the three learn of their unique connection to one another and embark on a journey to find out their identities, where they came from and why they were abandoned (RTÉ One, Wednesday, July 2, 9.35pm). Heavyweight two-parter telling the story of the role played by a group of Irish-Americans during the conflict in Northern Ireland, ranging from fundraising to propagandising to gunrunning. NORAID became the republican movement's voice in the United States, gaining the ear of candidate Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential primaries (RTÉ One, Wednesday, July 9, 9.35pm). DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER Filmmaker Ross Killeen, who made Love Yourself Today, about Damien Dempsey and his fans, takes an unconventional approach to charting the emotive journey of the artist Asbestos through the slow decay of his mother's memories as they disintegrate due to her advancing Alzheimer's disease. THE LAST MISSIONARIES Bryan Dobson and Dearbhail McDonald trace the evolution of the Irish missionary movement, from religious colonialism to heroic acts of self-sacrifice and philanthropy, to tawdry scandals of abuse and cover-up. With almost all of Ireland's last missionaries now elderly, what does the future, if there is one, hold? THE BREAKING WAVE: THE BUDDHISTS OF BEARA In 1973, Peter and Harriet Cornish founded Dzogchen Beara, a spiritual haven on West Cork's stunning Beara peninsula. In 1994, they appointed renowned Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche as its spiritual director. Two decades later, the community was rocked by revelations that Rinpoche was a serial sexual predator. Maurice O'Brien's film, shot over five years, follows its efforts to come to terms with the scandal. HOME: THE STORY OF ZAK MORADI Zak Moradi was born in a camp in war-torn Iraq on the day the Gulf War began. His family fled their home 20 years ago to build a new life in Ireland, where Zak found fellowship through his passion for playing hurling for the local GAA club. This emotional film follows him as he returns to Iraq to reconnect with his past. MRS ROBINSON Told in former president Mary Robinson's own words, this is the story of year 50-year fight for justice and equality, on the streets, in the courts, at the ballot box and in backroom corridors of power. Told in former president Mary Robinson's own words, this is the story of year 50-year fight for justice and equality PRAY FOR OUR SINNERS Sinéad O'Shea, director of the recent Edna O'Brien documentary Blue Road, returns to her hometown, Navan, to explore the stories of a handful of extraordinary figures who resisted the Catholic Church's oppressive rule in decades past. These include a woman who refused to give her baby up for adoption, a nine-year-old boy who dared to speak out against his teachers' physical abuse, and a couple who established a family planning service and campaigned for the abolition of corporal punishment. FOOTBALL FAMILIES Three-part series featuring some of Ireland's best young footballing talent as they chase the dream of making it as professionals. It was filmed behind the scenes of Shelbourne's academy as the 2024 league-winning season reached its climax. SIGHTLESS CINEMA A year in the life of the Sightless Cinema audio drama network, a group of blind and visually impaired people who've been creating audio dramas for performance in theatres and cinemas, as they rehearse and perform their new show across Ireland.
RTÉ News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
RTÉ announces new slate of homegrown documentaries
From a documentary about former President Mary Robinson to look at the lives of Buddhists in Beara and an exploration of the links between the IRA and America, RTÉ television has announced a new series of homegrown documentaries. Produced to "showcase unique Irish stories and explore Irish life," the new documentary slate also includes Pray for our Sinners about the impact of the Catholic Church on the town of Navan and The Phone Box Babies, which reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland.. Natasha, Wednesday 25 June, 9.35pm, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Having survived a violent assault by a serving soldier - who was convicted but walked free with a suspended sentence - Natasha O'Brien, a young Limerick woman, refuses to stay silent. Her public outcry against the lenient ruling ignites national protests and forces a reckoning with how the Irish justice system treats survivors of gender-based violence. This documentary follows Natasha and is a portrayal of how the aftermath of a violent attack and the subsequent strain of the flawed justice system affects a young woman's life and how she attempts to transform her trauma into activism. The Phone Box Babies reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The babies were discovered by random passersbys in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clue to their origins. David McBride, born in 1962, was left in a car in a Belfast driveway. John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box. Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a Dundalk phone box. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. This new documentary uncovers details about the babies' parents, where they came from, and why they were given up. Fifty years later, as adults, they discover their connection to each other and embark on an emotional journey to uncover their identities. A new two-part documentary that tells the astonishing story of the role played by Irish Americans during the conflict in Northern Ireland: fundraising, propagandising and gun-running. NORAID: Irish America and the IRA tells of a body of Irish Americans who acted as the Republican movement's voice in the United States of America throughout that period. Told through first-hand accounts and using exclusive archive sources, the series looks at how Irish-America went from collecting money in bars in the Bronx to pressing the Presidential Candidate, Bill Clinton, during the 1992 primaries - lobbying which led to a key turning point in the nascent Peace Process: a US Visa for the then President of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams. Listen to the Land Speak, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Listen to the Land Speak sees Manchán Magan reveal the profound knowledge and wisdom contained in our landscape and myths and explore how they have shaped the way we look at the world. Filmed over four seasons, the film unfolds from Winter Solstice to Bealtaine through Reek Sunday to Samhain. Along his journey, he meets archaeologists, mythologists, writers and shamans that offer different perspectives on how our ancestors related to the land and landscape around them. It also becomes an unexpectedly personal story - as he seeks to help heal society's relationship with nature - Manchán also realises that there is a serious illness within himself that makes him see these ancient sites and beliefs in a whole new light. Don't Forget to Remember, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player This unconventional documentary from Ross Killeen (Love Yourself Today) is an emotive human story featuring the artist Asbestos and his journey through the slow decay of his mother's memories as they disintegrate due to her advancing Alzheimer's disease. His work represents the fragility of memory in images, which are themselves fragile and transient. Together Killeen and Asbestos consider the brittleness of memory and find that even though Alzheimer's brings elements of disintegration and destruction, the memories we have of our loved ones will endure and last, even if they've disintegrated in the mind of the sufferer. The work is at once a moving portrait of one woman's memory loss, but also a celebration of a loving family coming together in the face of this condition. The Last Irish Missionaries, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Bryan Dobson and Dearbhail McDonald chart the unique evolution of the Irish missionary movement, from religious colonialism to heroic acts of self-sacrifice and philanthropy; from a flourishing of Irish "soft power," to tawdry scandals of abuse and cover-up. Today, the Irish missionary chapter is drawing to a close. Ireland's last missionaries are nearly all elderly - what will be their legacy? And who, if anyone, will take their place? Dearbhail and Bryan explore why so many Irish priests, nuns, lay people and other religious felt called to spread the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the world. They also hear firsthand about their experiences and the impact of those individuals worldwide. The Breaking Wave - The Buddhists of Beara, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player This feature-length film tells the remarkable story of Dzogchen Beara, a spiritual haven perched amidst the stunning landscape of West Cork's Beara peninsula. Founded by Peter and Harriet Cornish in 1973, the Centre appointed an internationally renowned Buddhist teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche, as its spiritual director, in 1994. Over 20 years later, the community was rocked by revelations that Rinpoche was a serial sexual predator. With unique access over five years, Maurice O'Brien's film captures the community's efforts to come to terms with this scandal and with the death of Peter Cornish, while constructing Ireland's first Tibetan Buddhist Temple. Home: The Story of Zak Moradi tells the story of Zak, born in a camp in war-torn Iraq on the day the Gulf War began. Zak and his family share their experiences from fleeing their home to building a new life in Ireland, where he finds a community and his passion through the local GAA and playing hurling. 20 years since leaving Iraq, Zak returns to reconnect with his past on an emotional journey, in what is a poignant and inspiring story of resilience and hope, that explores the importance, meaning and feeling of a home. The documentary premiered at last year's Galway Film Fleadh. Mrs Robinson, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Mrs Robinson tells the story of Mary Robinson - in her own words, for the very first time - illuminating battles for justice and equality over half a century; on the streets, in the courts, at the ballot box, and in backroom corridors of power. A reforming constitutional lawyer and Senator in her early career, Mary Robinson detonated an electoral earthquake by winning the Irish Presidential vote in 1990. Later, as a crusading UN High Commissioner, she built a lasting legacy; fearlessly challenging perpetrators of human rights abuses all over the world. To this day, she exerts leadership as the Chair of The Elders; the independent group of global leaders (founded by Nelson Mandela) who work for peace, justice and human rights. Pray for our Sinners, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Pray for Our Sinners documents Sinéad O'Shea's return to her hometown, Navan, to explore the impact of the Catholic Church on the community in decades past. Through first hand testimonies, the film reveals the plight of unmarried mothers; the horrors of mother and baby homes and the prevalence of violence against children in Catholic schools. A handful of extraordinary figures chose to resist the pervasive power of the church: a woman who refused to give her baby up for adoption, a nine-year-old boy who dared to speak out against his teachers' physical abuse; and a couple who established a family planning service and campaigned for the abolition of corporal punishment Football Families, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Football Families is a three-part series featuring some of Ireland's best young soccer talent as they chase the dream of making it in the dog-eat-dog world of professional football, filmed behind-the-scenes with the rising stars of league of Ireland champions Shelbourne F.C's soccer academy. The series was filmed as the 2024 league reached its climax with Shelbourne being crowned champions under manager Damien Duff. Delving behind the scenes, the series highlights how this sport for the masses is a profession for the few. Hard-working and determined, these teenagers from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities train together and bond as teams who want to win. Their stories reveal the pressure and scrutiny they're under as they cope with the brutal reality of elite level football. North Circular, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player North Circular is a multiple award-winning documentary which travels the length of Dublin's North Circular Road. This is a place where local characters share their powerful and emotive stories, accompanied by traditional ballads and folk music, all adding to the narrative. Conjuring the ghosts of the past, while engaging with the conflicts and celebrations of today, North Circular also features some Dublin humour thrown in. The film includes musical performances from local artists including John Francis Flynn, Séan Ó Túama, Eoghan O'Ceannabháin, Ian Lynch and Gemma Dunleavy. Breaking Out, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Fergus O'Farrell was the charismatic voice of Interference, one of the most compelling and influential bands to emerge from the Irish music scene in the 1990s, best-known for his timeless song Gold which featured in the soundtrack to Oscar-winning movie Once. Despite being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, through it all, Fergus had to keep singing. His unique talent and love for life inspired a generation of songwriters. Oscar-winner Glen Hansard was one, and in one of the many incredible moments in Breaking Out, he performs the ultimate duet as Fergus' greatest gift was failing. Winner of Best Irish Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh 2019 , this intimate journey into the heart and soul of Fergus O'Farrell was filmed over ten years by director Michael McCormack. Sightless Cinema, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player A year in the life of the Sightless Cinema audio drama network, as they embark on their biggest show to date. The Sightless Cinema network is a group of blind and visually impaired people who create audio dramas for performance in theatres and cinemas. Founded in 2015 by theatre director Ciarán Taylor, and sound artist Rachel Ní Chuinn, Sightless Cinema has grown from a tiny group to a nationwide community. Director Gareth Stack followed Sightless Cinema as they rehearsed and performed their new show across Ireland. Members of the group candidly discuss their sight loss and how their lives have been shaped by blindness. We watch their creative process in action. As Sightless Cinema turn their lived experiences of blindness into compelling audio theatre. Feature documentary on American singer songwriter John Murry who was on the cusp of greatness after the release of his album Graceless Age in 2013 when his world fell apart. He found solace in Ireland where he had washed up creatively exhausted and depressed and where, he said, the landscape and the people revived him. This film sees John retrace his steps back to Mississippi to a neglected childhood, explore his family links to the Nobel Prize winning author William Faulkner, and ultimately find understanding and redemption through his love for music.
