Bob Geldof on Michael D. Higgins: "The greatest of all Irish presidents"

Bob Geldof:

Michael D. has been the greatest of all Irish presidents. Through the long-awaited, longed-for period of social, cultural, political and economic change that spanned his term of office, he provided Ireland with the necessary strength of character, the intellectual architecture, and the celebratory cultural affirmation that rooted the sudden radical changes into the historic national narrative.

His interpretation of his role guided and articulated the debates and wove them into the continuity of the island. Such that he was able to reflect back to us a mirror image of ourselves, away from the narrowness of the past. Through his thoughtful speeches and essays, and his brilliant use of our twin languages – effortlessly moving between both – he stitched the radical now into a seamless weave with the natural, national genius of the people.

He also brilliantly looked the part. We were so proud of this little fella and his mad hair, great suits and huge knotted necktie, which was almost bigger than his mobile, fluid and impish face. Abroad at the many conferences or seminars or state visits, he shone. Intellectually and personally, the smallest man in the room was head and shoulders, waaaay above anyone else. I know, I saw it often.

I bet he was exactly the image foreigners had of Irish people, with his huge enthusiasm for life; his superb use of language; his humour and his clear compassion, and interest in and for people; his literate and vivid enthusiastic embrace of anything of the arts; and crucially, his lack of cant and hypocrisy, allied to a barely concealed irritation, anger or indeed contempt, and resistance to the political fool made him loved by well… everyone.

He was clearly separate from the tiresomely bitty push-a-pull that is the necessary lot of daily political life. As he constitutionally must be, this president was way above that nonsense. We could trust Michael D. We could trust the President. And he never once betrayed that prized virtue.

His will be henceforward the model of what it is to be the President of the Republic of Ireland. There is little doubt that he will be remembered as our best yet. And that memory will be entirely justified. He has defined this difficult, fluid, non-determined role for those who will come after him. How odd that we almost missed him. There’s something to be learned there. Skin-of-our teeth we got lucky. It was “meant-to-be”. We’re lucky to have had him.

Big shoes to fill. I don’t envy the next one.

Read our in-depth cover story interview with Michael D. Higgins – and tributes from Cillian Murphy, Niall Horan, Dermot Kennedy, Denise Chaila and more – in the current issue of Hot Press, out now: