Michael D Higgins tells Professor Anthony Clare how his experiences in life shape his politics.
Born in Limerick in 1941, Michael D Higgins studied at University College Galway (UCG), University of Manchester and Indiana University Bloomington. He became a lecturer in Political Science and Sociology at UCG (University College Galway) and was a visiting professor at Southern Illinois University. After deciding on a career in politics, he resigned from his academic positions.
He was appointed to Seanad Éireann in 1973 and was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1981 as a Labour Party TD for Galway West. He lost his seat in November 1982 and returned to the Seanad. He was re-elected to the Dáil in 1987.
Higgins cites his own background as one of the influences on his politics. His family's experience of poor housing conditions and access to healthcare when he was a child have shaped his thinking. During his studies at UCG (University College Galway) he spent time studying in Manchester in 1968 and in the United States during the Vietman War, and became convinced of
The philosophical...and the ethical case...for a socialist vision for humanity.
While at university Michael D spent his summer holidays working in England, which he maintains also helped him look at Irish society in a different way. His involvement in human rights issues in combination with visits to countries in Central and Latin America introduced him to the concept of solidarity which he describes as
A sense of communal, a sense of the social.
Despite many inequalities in Irish society, in general people in Ireland are not up in arms about social issues compared to other countries. Michael D believes that a combination of fatalism and individualism in Irish society has resulted in the average person to focus primarily on the needs of their immediate family which he calls
A kind of amoral familism.
This episode of 'Irish In Mind’ was broadcast on 13 March 1989. The presenter is Professor Anthony Clare.
‘Irish In Mind’ was a studio based series in which Dr Anthony Clare, Medical Director of St Patrick’s Hospital, and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, interviewed well known Irish people from the fields of politics, arts, religion, business and media. In an interview for the RTÉ Guide about the series, Dr Clare believes that the Irish "...reveal far more through literature; through theatre and performances...We are a very private people." (RTÉ Guide 3 February 1989, p.16)
First broadcast on 6 February 1989, the series ran for seven weeks.
