President Michael D. Higgins charts at No.3 with Against All Certainty album

President Michael D. Higgins has debuted at No.3 in the Irish album charts with the spoken word album Against All Certainty.

The album contains ten poems, with the former Juno Falls man – and renowned video maker – Myles O’Reilly providing musical additions. O’Reilly was one of the musicians who performed on Friday evening last, in a special tribute to the President at the National Concert Hall. President Higgins was himself among the performers, reading two poems in what was a warm and wonderful occasion.

The poems – and a number of songs performed specially by stars like Imelda May (pictured below), Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Mary Coughlan, Paul Brady, Andy Irvine and Muireann Bradley, among others – were given very special arrangements by conductor David Brophy and performed by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland.

Against All Certainty, A Celebration of Michael D. Higgins at The National Concert Hall on September 5th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

The evening was hosted by Tommy Tiernan and among those who read poems written by the President were Paula Meehan, Sebastian Barry, God Knows, Panti Bliss and Ryan Tubridy.

Against All Certainty has been widely praised, with Jackie Hayden giving it 8 stars in Hot Press.

"Having carved his determined political path by resolutely following his own instincts, it’s no surprise that his poetry is equally defiant,” Hayden observed. One of the highlights of the album is 'My Mother Married My Father in Mount Mallory in 1937’ – which also proved to be a live standout.

The record begins on the note of defiance mentioned by Hayden, which resonates through ‘The Truth of Poetry’, and closes with ‘Stargazer’ – in which knowledge and imagination is celebrated. As anyone who has listened to the President knows, it is that commitment to the intersection of intellectual rigour and creative insight that has marked his work as Uachtarán na hÉireann.

The album is released on the Claddagh label – which was home to those giants of Irish music The Chieftains – and which now boasts an increasingly diverse roster, with Niamh Bury, Lemoncello and Dug among their recent releases.

Sabrina Carpenter is at No.1 in the Irish charts with Man's Best Friend and local darlings Kingfishr dropped from No.1 to No.2 with Halcyon.