In the lead-up to the Winter Solstice (Grianstad an Gheimhridh) last year, The Trailblazery hosted a powerful and thought-provoking conversation between President Michael D. Higgins and author Manchán Magan - watch the full conversation above.
Seated in his office, President Higgins and Manchán explored themes of language, culture, identity, and the urgent need to guide humanity forward in the face of global challenges.
"There are things that can't be spoken about as easily as when I was younger," President Higgins reflected. "It was much easier during the course of my lifetime to speak about peace, to speak about criticism of capitalism than it is now… I’d like to see the evidence of where capitalism can, in fact, be reformed, amended."
In this illuminating dialogue, President Higgins shared insights from his journey — from his childhood in County Clare to his distinguished career in academia and politics. He emphasized his deep commitment to the Irish language and highlighted its importance in post-colonial Ireland.
"If I were to look for hope now," he said, "it would be in the Irish language and among the new young generation that are speaking it. They are actually in a time of no repression. They are able to take the complex new stuff that’s happening around them and see it through the prism of the Irish language… This is all happening in a language that was once forbidden, once proscribed, and that in fact was saved."
President Higgins also explored the broader impact of history on cultural identity, offering a sweeping perspective on societal transformation — tracing humanity’s evolution from industrialism to modernity, from capitalism to socialism.
Learn more about The Trailblazery here.
