The directly elected President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, is making an official visit to Australia and New Zealand from 7 to 24 October. He undertook many official events but they received little publicity, perhaps deliberately so given the close comparison that can be made between the Irish Republic and Australia, both former British dominions. Eire became a republic in 1937 after rewriting its Constitution and putting a short five-clause bill through its Parliament to declare itself a republic (following many years of bloodshed of course). We have linked the President’s speech given to the Parliament of WA on 10 October below, a speech that charts this history of prominent Irish emigrants (90,000 Irish born people in todays Australia with 2.4m descendants since 1788) to Australia and their descendants although we did notice that Daniel Henry Deniehy is not mentioned. The President was in Canberra from 15 to 17 October, meeting with both the PM and the Governor-General, our Head of State’s representative. We notice that he slipped in time for a quick photo-op with Peter Fitzsimons, Chair of the Australian Republic Movement, at Parliament House but that was about it for republican activities on this visit.
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
