Michael Higgins Biography

Michael Daniel Higgins is a politician from Ireland who has served as the country’s president since 2011. Born into a family with close ties to the Irish Revolution, Higgins got interested in politics during his university days. At his alma mater, he served as the president of the students’ union. After further studies, Higgins initially worked in academia, teaching political science and sociology as a lecturer. But he later decided against continuing a career in academia to dedicate himself entirely to politics. He started his political career with two unsuccessful bids to enter Dail Eireann as a Labour candidate. His upward spiral began in 1981 when he was elected as a Teachta Dala to the Dail Eireann (senator in the lower house). A decade later, he was elected as Mayor of Galway and was soon appointed the Minister for Arts, Culture and Gaeltacht. He was also instrumental in establishing an Irish language television station, and his role in promotion of the Irish culture won him accolades across the political spectrum. He was nominated as Labour’s presidential candidate in 2011, which he won. He went on to win a second term seven years later in 2018. Higgins’s unassuming nature and charm helped him sculpt a career defined by tangible achievements. The president also has to his name multiple poetry anthologies. He is equally known for his artistic skills as much as for his political achievements.