President Michael D Higgins appeared on Irish TV to chat to Ryan Tubridy about a range of subjects – and charmed the nation in the process.
Mr Higgins was on RTÉ’s Late Late Show and told Tubridy about his life as ‘young Michael on the farm’. The 75-year-old also said that he was relieved to have gotten ‘good marks in my leaving’.
Mr Higgins told several stories that have taken place in his life, including an unexpected Mel Gibson anecdote – which saw the President swapping tailoring tips with the American actor.
Take a look at this video of Mr Higgins discusses being a qualified waiter.
Mr Higgins also spoke about his pride at being Ireland’s first citizen and the reaction from the crowd when Tubridy asked if he would run for a second term in office, suggested that he would be a popular choice.
Mr Higgins said that he hasn’t decided whether or not he will run, but said that over the next couple of years there will be a number of important events that will be as significant as this year’s Easter Rising centenary commemorations. He said he will know whether he will run towards the end of 2018.
When the conversation turned to politics, Mr Higgins said that he didn’t want to speak from ‘a perch’ at anybody.
He said: “I’m not saying that there is only one version of the world. I’m simply making the case for several versions of the world.
“Then I say to people ‘we should be able to listen to each other without bad temper. We should be able to not only describe our anxieties, but to try and come to understand them’.
“There is an assumption that things are too complex for people to understand. I think people can understand everything if it is put to them honestly and straight forwardly.”
Take a look at the video below.
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling