The debut video from President Michael D. Higgins' forthcoming spoken word album Against All Certainty has been released.
The video, which accompanies the album's title track, is directed by award-winning filmmaker Ellius Grace and features a theatrical performance by Irish actors Ciarán Hinds, Olwen Fouéré, and Éanna Hardwicke - watch it here.
It marks the first in a series that will explore themes from Higgins' poetry, depicting life in 1940s Ireland and the challenges many faced during that time.
The album, Against All Certainty, features poems written by the President and set to music by filmmaker and musician Myles O'Reilly. It is the first-ever collection of vocal recordings of his written works.
President Higgins, born in 1941 in Limerick and raised in County Clare, drew from his own early experiences in Ireland for the work.
Before entering public life, he worked in a factory and as a clerk for the ESB. He later became the first in his family to attend higher education. Emigration is also part of his family's history, and is reflected in the album's content.
On 11 November 2011, Michael D. Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland. On 11 November 2018, he was inaugurated for a second term, which comes to an end this November.
The full album will be released on September 5th, 2025 in multiple formats. These include a hardback CD edition with a 60-page book featuring poetry, essays, photos, and forewords, as well as a limited-edition coloured vinyl.
