Media Library

Speech at a ‘Family Day’ Garden Party 2017

The third Garden Party hosted by President and Sabina this summer was a "Family Day".

People from all over Ireland were invited as guests of honour at this event, held to pay tribute to the love, friendship and solidarity that binds us together as people and as a nation.

The annual Garden Parties at Áras an Uachtaráin continue a tradition which began during Douglas Hyde’s presidency. President and Sabina Higgins are organising eight such events this summer, welcoming some 4,000 people into Áras an Uachtaráin. 

Address to representatives of the Choctaw Nation

On 20 June 2017, President and Sabina Higgins hosted a delegation from the Choctaw Nation.

The Choctaw, who lost a quarter of their population on the 'Trail of Tears' in the 1830s, just a few short years later collected money to donate to the victims of the Famine in Ireland.

Speech at a Garden Party for Representatives of Ireland’s Island Communities

The second event in the 2017 series of Garden Parties hosted by President and Sabina Higgins focused on paying tribute to the people and organisations that work to support and promote healthy, thriving communities on Ireland's inhabited islands.

The President and Sabina invited people from islands communities across Ireland, as well as from organisations and institutions that support, or relate to, island life.