Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins, Irish: Micheál Ó D. hUiginn, ( born April 18, 1941 in Limerick ) is an Irish politician of the Irish Labour Party and, since 11 November 2011, the ninth President of Ireland.
Biography
Higgins, who worked as a lecturer and is also known as a poet and essayist, was appointed in 1973 as a representative of the Irish Labour Party by the then Prime Minister ( Taoiseach ) Liam Cosgrave as a member of the Senate ( Seanad Éireann ). In the Senate elections in 1977, however, he suffered a defeat and resigned from the Senate.
In 1981, he was then a member of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann ) is selected and represented there until his election defeat in the general election in November 1982 the constituency of Galway West. At the same time he was from December 1981 to 1982 for the first time Mayor of Galway. After that, he was from 1983 was member of the Senate and was there to the three representatives of the National University of Ireland, Galway. In 1987 he was again elected a member of Dáil Éireann and represents there again since then the constituency of Galway West. In addition, he was 1990-1991 again Mayor of Galway.
On 12 January 1993 he was appointed by Taoiseach (Prime Minister ) Albert Reynolds in the coalition government of Fianna Fáil and Irish Labour Party to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Irish-speaking areas ( Gaeltacht ). This office he held until his resignation on 17 November 1994.
In the subsequent coalition government of Fine Gael and Irish Labour Party Prime Minister John Bruton appointed him just a month later on 15 December 1994 also Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht; Higgins was part of the government until the end of Bruton's term of office on 26 June 1997.
In the presidential election in 2011 Higgins stood as Labour candidate and was determined to be 39.6 % of the vote well ahead of the Seán Gallagher until a few days before the election, leading in the polls to succeed Mary McAleese.
Higgins is married and has one daughter and three sons.