Sir, – Earlier this month, we saw European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen give her third state of the union address to the European Parliament since her appointment to the post in 2019. US presidents also give annual addresses to the US Congress. While the Irish presidency of course serves a different purpose, an address to the Houses of the Oireachtas should be an annual event in the President’s diary.
Ireland has, as noted by Justine McCarthy (“Time for Michael D Higgins to address the Oireachtas”, Opinion & Analysis, September 23rd), been fortunate in our last three presidents, who have all brought their own theme and message to the office. One of the key roles of the Irish presidency is to give voice to the nation, its ambitions, desires and outlook. If nothing else, that in itself is reason enough for the President to address the Dáil and Seanad each year. I, like your columnist, admire and value the presidency and current office-holder and that is why I hope that 2022 will close with a Michael D Higgins address in the Dáil chamber. Perhaps it could be timed to coincide with the historic voluntary stepping down of Fianna Fáil’s Taoiseach in favour of Fine Gael’s. – Yours, etc,
TOMÁS HENEGHAN,
East Wall,
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Dublin 3.