As he has done each year since coming into office, President Michael D. Higgins will attend the 2017 EA Cup Final, taking place at Tallaght Stadium.
The EA Cup, also known as the League of Ireland Cup / Corn Sraithe na hÉireannis is a football competition open to all League of Ireland clubs.
A soccer fan since the 1950s and former President of Galway United FC, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has been a strong supporter of sports, culture and creativity throughout his Presidency.
The President has explained his interest in soccer, and in sports in general, saying (in March 2015)
“Sport, in so many ways, mirrors those qualities which are so important for good citizenship and the creation of adequately functioning societies.
To be a good sportswoman or sportsman requires dedication, self discipline, teamwork and the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. It is through partaking in sporting activities that many young children begin to learn how to participate in a society where circumstances and events will lead to their sometimes being triumphant winners in life, and just as important, sometimes gracious losers.
To be a good sportswoman or sportsman requires dedication, self discipline, teamwork and the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. It is through partaking in sporting activities that many young children begin to learn how to participate in a society where circumstances and events will lead to their sometimes being triumphant winners in life, and just as important, sometimes gracious losers."
