‘Thank you for the trust you have placed in me’ – President Higgins delivers final St Patrick’s Day message after 14 years

“It remains the greatest honour and privilege to serve you, to meet so many of you in your communities, to witness your compassion, empathy and kindness in so many different ways,” he said.

“It is something that I will always cherish – what you offered to Sabina, my partner in all that I have sought to achieve and myself – and we both appreciated and will always recall the warmth and support that you offered us, and the joy of your company.”

In his 14th and final address as president since he was first elected in 2011, Mr Higgins reflected on the themes he addressed during his two terms in office as he noted that this St Patrick’s Day is being celebrated “in a world that is increasingly challenged by forces of division, inequality, and the flagrant degradation of our natural world”.

“As I leave the Presidency, I would like to repeat my belief that words and how they are used matter, and furthermore, that the ideas which they draw on…