Media Library

President Higgins Marks St Brigid’s Day, Or Lá Fhéile Bríde 2018

The President is Guest of Honour at an event celebrating the creativity of women.  
The event, organised by the Irish Embassy in London, celebrates the contributions and talents of women in many fields, including the arts, architecture, fashion, business, science and technology.
St Brigid’s Feast Day was originally a pagan festival called Imbolc, marking the beginning of spring. Lá Fhéile Bríde celebrates the arrival of longer, warmer days and the early signs of spring. In the pagan tradition, the day also celebrates Brigid's divine femininity.

Speech at an Afternoon Tea reception at Áras an Uachtaráin- Jan 18

President gives an address at the “Brexit, Ireland and the Future of Europe” conference

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On Thursday 25 January President Higgins gave the keynote address at the conference on “Brexit, Ireland and the Future of Europe.”

In his speech, the President welcomed the increase in public debate about the EU and the future of European cooperation, highlighting that the Union cannot be reconstructed from above, but must be renewed by focusing on the EU’s relevance for its citizens and the challenges they face.

The President said that the challenges which will test the European Union – climate change, global migration, the future of work – can only be met by restoring social cohesion and by strengthening those institutions that unite and protect solidarity in society.