Ryan Hennessy of Picture This on Michael D. Higgins: "I've always really admired his compassion and integrity. It’s exactly what you need from a president"

Ryan Hennessy of Picture This:

He was a formidable president. I’m 30, so he’s kind of the only president I have any consciousness of, since he’s been there for 14 years. He’s been the president of a lifetime for me. I’ve always really admired his compassion and integrity. It’s exactly what you need from a president, especially of a country like Ireland.

I always thought it was an incredible thing that the president of Ireland was a poet. That’s exactly what people around the world would expect of an Irish president, because we are a land of literature. The whole art aspect of his presidency, and of him as a person, always really struck me.

He really was the perfect representative for Irish people. We’ve been so lucky to have somebody like him. He’s the embodiment of the Irish spirit, and the Irish arts, and to have that as the figurehead of your country is an amazing thing. I think he’s served us so well, and he’s spoken out for many different causes. Obviously, in my career in the arts, I’ve always felt very heard and represented by Michael D.

I’ve never had the occasion to meet him, but I bought his poetry album on vinyl, so I’d love to meet him and have it signed! A president is limited in what he can physically do, compared to the Taoiseach for example – but he was unwavering in his support of causes that needed his voice. That’s just as important as physically putting stuff into laws, and he has done that repeatedly for causes like Palestine, which is a very, very important and worthy cause that needs people’s voices all around the world.

For our president to be unwavering in his support was just unbelievable to witness, and very important. He showcased to the nation, and hopefully our youth, that your voice matters, and you have to speak up about causes like Palestine, and everything else that he stood for.

Once the presidency is over, I hope he gets the time that he deserves to do whatever he’d like to do. I hope he continues to speak out. I think he’ll always be an amazing representative of our country, of the arts, of literature and of compassion, and I hope he continues to shine that light – I’m sure he will. He doesn’t have to be the president of the country to do that.

I’m sure he will continue to be a person of great integrity and compassion, and I wish him all the best.

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