First Citizen and Freeman

President Michael D Higgins was in Clare last week to be given the freedom of Ennis, writes Owen Ryan

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins became the second and very possibly the last person to be granted the freedom of Ennis last Friday.

He followed in the footsteps of Muhammad Ali who was given the honour in 2009, and with the local town council set to be wound up next year, there is only another year for the number to rise to three.

Welcoming the President to the town, Mayor Peter Considine said, “On behalf of my fellow councillors and the people of Ennis I would like to thank you for accepting our invitation to attend here this afternoon. We are privileged to bestow on you the honorary freedom of the town of Ennis, the highest honour that the council can bestow on any individual, group or organisation. We are delighted that you, Sabina and members of your family have honoured us with your presence here today.”

He said that the President has long standing ties to the town, which go beyond the five years he spent as a student at St Flannan’s.

“Outside of the time that you spent in Ennis as a student in St Flannan’s College, I know that from a personal and professional perspective you are very familiar with the town of Ennis, its history and the people who live here.

“During your time as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht you supported numerous projects and initiatives that sought to protect and promote the culture and heritage of towns such as Ennis. We take great pride in our status as a heritage town and tourism centre, a multicultural town, a centre for the arts and of course a town with a strong sporting tradition.”

He said that the work President has done over the years has been inspirational. “You have promoted integration, instilled hope of a brighter future through pragmatism, embraced positive change in Irish society and most importantly have upheld the office of president with great dignity and honour.”

Councillor Considine joked that there are some similarities between President Higgins and Ali. “In your days as minister some might agree that you also did float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!”

He referred to him playing handball in St Flannan’s noting that the President was known as “a feisty and combative sportsman”.
When he addressed the gathering, the President said he was delighted to receive the freedom of the town. “I deeply appreciate the honour and privilege that you are conferring on me and I say it all the moreso because I join Muhammad Ali, one of the people I admire.”

He also spoke about his handball playing days. “I did indeed play handball in St Flannan’s without a back alley, and they could have done something about the surface as well.

“Also in Newmarket-on-Fergus, where I had one of the most humiliating experiences of my life in the alley. I was drawn in the first round of the Gael Linn competition where you play for half an hour, against Pat Kirby…”
He paid tribute to some of his former teachers in the Banner County including William Clune, Lucy Hastings and Martin Kirwan, who he said encouraged him to write and to get involved in debating.

The President said that Clare’s county town has a distinctive atmosphere and a history of recovering from severe difficulties.

“I think that the narrow streets and lanes of Ennis have a particular character of their own, all in different ways. From the legal atmosphere that comes out of Bindon Street and up through the other streets. Ennis has had an extraordinary history as well. It has a great history of resilience be it from the cholera epidemic of 1832 or the extraordinary losses of life of the famine of 1845-48.

“Its important that Ennis always remembers, and the people of Clare remember, the extraordinary resilience of their forefathers. There were things overcome by Irish people that other people would not be able to transcend and that’s the strength of Ireland.”
President Higgins said that Ennis has been a very inclusive town, taking in many people who arrived into Ireland through Shannon.

“That is as it should be because we have sent our people from Ireland all over the world. People have come to us and what binds us together is respect for human dignity and respect for migrants who are vulnerable and people who may be in need of assurance and of assistance,” he added.
The President said the country has “come a long way since the time that people used to compete against each other in the GAA to be on the vigilance committees” who would go to soccer matches to see if anyone was breaching the ban.

“One of my last visits to Ennis, towards the end of the campaign was to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Football Association of Ireland. To think that there are all these soccer clubs in all these places in Clare is very welcome,” he added.

He also referred to Newmarket’s 2012 county final win, their first since 1981, and speaking to the media after the main event he said he was sorry he hadn’t been in Cusack Park to see it. “My only regret was that I was in Ennis the day before but I had to go back because I had duties I had committed myself to. I think it’s great to see the recovery and great to see all the sporting codes being played.”

He also said he would like to see Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming to Ennis, while he lauded Clare’s cultural scene. “When I became Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht it was a privilege to be able to be of some assistance to the Willie Clancy school and to meet people like the late Muiris Ó Rócháin. Clare is just full of creativity.”

Presentations were made to both the President and his wife Sabina. The President later visited the Cathedral of Ss Peter and Paul where local school children greeted him and a presentation was also made.