This year’s message is the final St Patrick’s Day Message delivered by President Higgins, with his term of office to end in November. Reflecting on his final St Patrick’s Day as President, the President thanks the Irish people for the trust which have placed in him over the last 14 years.
Here we give you the President’s message, in full, in both English and Irish
President Michael D. Higgins
Saint Patrick’s Day Message 2025
A cháirde dhil,
As this St. Patrick’s Day of 2025 will be my 14th and thus the final occasion when I will be wishing you the very best in your hopes and lives at home and abroad, as President of Ireland, I have thus felt encouraged to reflect on the themes that I have addressed in two sessions of the Presidency.
They were themes that included the need to think of the economy in an embedded if instrumental way within a set of values that sought equality, inclusion, the fullest capacity to participate and share creativity, and that we would seek to achieve this by doing so beyond any borders other than the best instincts of our shared humanity. That, I suggested, is the best expression and achievement of our Irishness.
As I leave the Presidency, I would like to repeat my belief that words and how they are used matter, and furthermore, that the ideas which they draw on matter.
I spoke of these issues both at home and abroad, convinced as I remain that it is possible to achieve a world that answers these challenges with shared values.
As I reflect on the discussions that occasionally arose following those normative excursions of mine, the response far too often seemed to end with ‘it is interests that matter’ and the suggestion that values are for a rarer visit.
When Irishness has been at its best, it has made real achievements in collapsing this false division.
For example, there are millions of people around the world living in lesser conditions of poverty, hunger, displacement or imprisonment who, as a result of the efforts of so many Irish people and others who have offered their lives and skills in the interests of humanity, with respect for difference, share a belief that the most important security that makes life possible in its fulfilment is a security that eliminates poverty, one that offers the right to food, shelter, education, the basic necessities of life.
Such Irish people, and many with them, believed that achieving such a security also provides the best opportunities for participation, peace, democracy and they had a vision that can offer real choices within longer-term thinking.
It is a fallacy to think that an abstract view of interests must not only be in opposition but, at times, seek to defeat such values.
Those who obdure and endure with a normative vision, be it from the poorest to those in power, are taking steps on behalf of all humanity, and the very life of our planet, when they reject the suggestion that we should live by, and encourage, an abstract version of accumulation and unrestrained greed, one entirely devoid of taking of the welfare of the ‘Other’ into account, a vision for living replacing the inter-connectedness of the world by an insatiable sense of the self.
As we celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day, we do so in a world that is increasingly challenged by forces of division, inequality, and the flagrant degradation of our natural world that impacts the consequences of climate change on those least responsible for it.
Too many of our Irish people will have experienced the dreadful consequences of Storm Éowyn at the end of January. May I thank all those who worked to address the severe consequences, including all of the first-responders, for their efforts.
Internationally we see borders closing to those who flee in desperation, the cruel withholding of aid from those most in need. Those relief efforts are experiencing in too many places the devastating consequences of a refusal to listen to the voices of the most vulnerable among us. We are listening, in places of influence, to a rhetoric that seeks not to unite, but to separate. An invitation to a limited and limitless version of the self is becoming the prevailing discourse.
In such moments, it is appropriate to ask ourselves: What kind of world do we wish to shape to allow for the future? Will we allow fear to triumph over solidarity, as do those who seek only power so as to strip away the bonds that connect us to one another? Are we to abandon the project of achieving peace in diversity?
Such questions, I suggest, require an answer that addresses not just our present sense of interacting crises, but also our responsibilities to all those generations yet to come whom we must consider as having the right to live on planet Earth in harmony with nature, to share life and be secure from the consequences of the legacies of bad thinking and insatiable accumulation and consumption.
We must reject any cynicism that suggests that ideals are naïve or unachievable and instead recognise that it is collective ideals, when pursued with courage, that have brought about the most transformative moments in human history.
Ideas matter. Words matter. The sharing of both matters. If we allow the language of inevitability of a simple dominating version of the connection between economics and life to take hold, if we accept that war is inevitable, that inequality is inevitable, that environmental destruction is a necessary cost of progress, then we abandon the possibilities of transformation, not just for ourselves but for future generations.
Reflecting on the themes that have been central to my Presidency, I remain convinced that there are alternative ways of living together on this fragile planet — ones shaped not by the narrow pursuit of self-interest, by the politics of exclusion, but by the pursuit of the shared opportunities, joys and resonance that are available with each other and with nature. Policies with the economy seen as embedded and in an inter-generational moral timescale that can offer such an alternative.
All of this is possible by us working, in our different ways, together.
There is a hope, we can take encouragement in the story of Patrick, one of choosing the path of understanding, the path of shared responsibility, where our differences are not exploited as threats, but embraced as the richness of our human condition. It offers an emancipatory alternative story of ethical courage, emerging as a symbol of hope and light in our present circumstances.
As we reflect on Patrick’s message on our National Day, let us do so, taking it as inspiration to develop a greater shared consciousness of the existential plight facing humankind, both of now and the future, of life as it is being lived and experienced, exploitatively with unnecessary strife and suffering, seeking instead an institutional framework that sees difference as an opportunity for an enriching co-operation towards shared goals.
To the people of Ireland, muintir na hÉireann, may I thank you for the trust you have placed in me over these past 14 years. It remains the greatest honour and privilege to serve you, to meet so many of you in your communities, to witness your compassion, empathy and kindness in so many different ways. It is something that I will always cherish – what you offered to Sabina, my partner in all that I have sought to achieve and myself – and we both appreciated and will always recall the warmth and support that you offered us, and the joy of your company.
I am convinced beyond any doubt that, in spite of all the challenges we face, there remains within the Irish people a profound and unyielding commitment to seeing beyond the self, to seeing the other as a friend, the principles of generosity, decency and care for one another.
On this St. Patrick’s Day 2025, let us invoke the spirit of Saint Patrick by acknowledging our shared responsibilities to each other, to our global family. Let us resolve to forge together a renewed sense of solidarity, reaffirming our commitment to the dignity and well-being of all, in building a just and compassionate world, one which reflects the best instincts of our humanity.
May I wish you all, wherever you may be and in whatever circumstances, a joyful, peaceful, and hopeful St. Patrick’s Day.
Beir beannacht an lá is do’n todhchaí.
An tUachtarán Micheál D. Ó hUigínn
Teachtaireacht na Féile Pádraig 2025
A chairde dhil,
Ó thárla go mbeidh Lá Fhéile Pádraig seo 2025 ar an gceathrú huair déag agus mar sin an uair dheiridh agam mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, dea-ghuí in bhur ndóchas agus in bhur mbeatha, a sheoladh chugaibh ar fad, sa bhaile agus i gcéin, spreagadh mé le machnamh arís ar na príomhthéamaí ar dhírigh mé orthu roimhe seo.
Bhí, ina measc sin, an riachtanas chun smaoineamh ar an ngeilleagar mar uirlis neadaithe laistigh de shraith luachanna a d’éiligh cothromaíocht, cuimsiú, an cumas is iomláine le bheith páirteach, agus an chruthaitheacht a roinnt agus iarracht na luachanna sin ar fad a dhéanamh beag beann ar theorainneacha, ach leis an dúchas sin a bhaineann lenár ndaonnacht chomhroinnte.
Ba é sin, dar liom, an léiriú is fearr ar ár nÉireannachas agus an t-éacht is mó a bhaineann leis.
Agus mé ag fágáil slán leis an Uachtaránacht, ba mhaith liom a dhearbhú arís, go bhfuil tábhacht le focail, agus ina theannta sin go bhfuil tábhacht le smaointe.
Labhair mé faoi na hábhair seo sa bhaile agus i gcéin, faoi chomh cinnte agus atá mé go bhfuil sé indéanta domhan a chruthú a thugann aghaidh ar na dúshláin seo le luachanna comhroinnte.
Agus mé ag smaoineamh an athuair ar na díospóireachtaí a tháinig chun cinn in amanna mar thoradh ar na bunturais intinne sin, bhí an chosúlacht air gur chríochnaigh an plé i gcónaí leis an tuairim gur “cúrsaí sainleasa is tábhachtaí” agus é tugtha le tuiscint gur annamh a ghéilltí don tábhacht a bhaineann le luachanna.
Tá fíor-éachtaí déanta ag Éireannaigh agus iad i mbarr a maitheasa le dul i ngleic leis an deighilt bhréagach seo. Tá, mar shampla, na milliúin duine ar fud an domhain gur lú anois an bhochtaineacht, an gorta, nó an phríosúnacht ina maireann siad mar thoradh d’iarrachtaí a rinne an oiread sin Éireannach agus daoine eile den meoin céanna ar a son; daoine a thairg a mbeatha agus a gcuid scileanna ar son na daonnachta, le meas ar an éagsúlacht, daoine a chreid go dtugann an tslándáil is tábhachtaí cúl le bochtanas agus go gcothaíonn sí an ceart chun bia, dídine agus oideachais, bunriachtanais na beatha.
Nuair a bhaintear slándáil den sórt sin amach, cuirtear na deiseanna is fearr ar fáil don rannpháirtíocht, síocháin, daonlathas agus ceannaireacht, nithe a chuirfidh ar fáil roghanna cearta mar chuid den smaointeoireacht fhadtéarmach.
Is bréag é a cheapadh nach leor go mbeadh dearcadh teibí ar leasanna i gcoimhlint le luachanna ach go gcaithfí, in amanna, a bheith ag iarraidh na luachanna sin a chloí.
Tá siad siúd ann a dhiúltaíonn don chur chuige gur chóir dúinn spreagadh a thabhairt nó a molann mar inspioráid don bheatha do leagan teibí den saol bunaithe ar charnadh saibhris, ar shaint gan srian, saint saor go hiomlán gan áireamh nó gan chuntas de chineál ar bith ar leas “an duine eile”, ag cothú leagan dóibh féin nach féidir a shásamh riamh, mar mhalairt ar dhomhan le deiseanna agus dualgais atá nasctha agus ceangailte le chéile.
Agus muid ag ceiliúradh an Lá Fhéile Pádraig seo, déanaimid sin i ndomhan atá ag tabhairt aghaidh ar dhúshláin mhéadaithe ó fhórsaí deighilteacha, ag eirí níos míchothrom, agus an díghrádú follasach ar ár ndomhan nádúrtha a fhágann drochthionchar na hathrú aeráide mar uallach orthu siúd is lú atá mar chúis leis.
Chonaic cuid dár bpobal iarmhairtí uafásacha Stoirm Éowyn ag deireadh mhí Eanáir. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt as a gcuid iarrachtaí dóibh siúd go léir a d’oibrigh le dul i ngleic leis an scrios a rinne an stoirm, na chéad fhreagróirí ar fad san áireamh.
Go hidirnáisiúnta, feicimid teorainneacha á ndúnadh orthu siúd atá ag teitheadh le teann éadóchais, agus cúnamh á chosc go cruálach orthu siúd is mó atá i ngátar. Tá na hiarrachtaí cabhrachta atá ag teastáil in iliomad áiteanna mar thoradh ar an diúltú, éisteacht i gceart, le glór na ndaoine is leochailí inár measc.
In amanna mar sin, is cuí dúinn an cheist a chur orainn féin: cén sórt domhain ar mian linn a mhúnlú?
An ligfimid don faitíos ceannas a fháil ar an dlúthpháirtíocht, tá forsaí ann nach bhfuil uathu ach cumhacht le cur ar a gcumas na nascanna sin a scrios a cheanglaíonn sinn le chéile? An bhfuilimid chun cúl a thabhairt leis an iarracht chun síocháin le héagsúlacht a bhaint amach?
Bhéinn den tuairim go n-éilíonn ceisteanna den sórt sin freagraí a thugann aghaidh ní hamháin ar ár dtuiscint reatha ar na géarchéimeanna éagsúla atá ag idirghníomhú le chéile ach freisin ar ár ndualgais i leith na nglúnta atá le teacht, iadsan ar cheart dúinn glacadh leis go bhfuil sé de cheart acu maireachtáil ar an domhan seo i dtiúin leis an dúlra, a mbeatha a chaitheamh agus iad slán ó thorthaí na hoidhreachta de smaointeoireacht lochtach agus de charnadh agus de chaitheamh saibhris gan teorainn atá á fhágáil le huacht againn acu.
Ní mór dúinn diúltú don tuairimíocht a mhaíonn go bhfuil idéil saonta,
nó nach féidir iad a bhaint amach agus ina áit sin, ní mór dúinn a aithint gurb iad na hidéil, nuair a leanadh dóibh le misneach, is treise agus is tréine a d’fhág a lorg ar stair an chine dhaonna.
Tá tábhacht le machnamh. Tá tábhacht le focail. Tá tábhacht leis an chaoi a úsáidtear machnamh agus focail lena chéile.
Má ghéillimid don chaint go bhfuil nithe ann nach féidir a sheachaint mar leagan simplí ceannasach den chaidreamh idir an geilleagar agus an saol, má ghlacaimid leis go bhfuil cogadh dosheachanta, nach féidir neamhionannas a chloí, go bhfuil scrios na timpeallachta ina chostas riachtanach ar an dul chun cinn, ansin caithfimid uainn aon seans ar athrú iomlán ó bhonn a thabhairt i bhfeidhm, ní hamháin dúinn féin ach do na glúnta atá le teacht.
Ag mé ag machnamh ar na téamaí a bhí lárnach i mo Uachtaránacht, seasaim go láidir fós leis an tuairim go bhfuil malairt bealaí ann le maireachtáil le chéile ar an bpláinéad leochaileach seo – bealaí nach bhfuil múnlaithe ag fís chúng ar mhaithe linn féin amháin ná ag polaitíocht an saint, ach atá bunaithe ar dheiseanna, ar aoibhneas agus ar chomhbhá a roinnt le chéile agus leis an nádúr – bealaí a d’fhéadfadh teacht as polasaithe a bheadh neadaithe i ndearcadh morálta fadtéarmach ó ghlúin go glúin.
Tá an méid seo ar fad indéanta má oibrímid ar fad le chéile, inár mbealaí éagsúla.
Tá dóchas ann. Léiríonn scéal Phádraig, ar chosán na tuisceana, ar chosán na freagrachta comhroinnte, áit nach mbaintear leas as ár ndifríochtaí mar bhagairtí ach a nglactar leo mar chuid den saibhreas daonna; malairt scéil é sin atá bunaithe ar mhisneach eiticiúil agus a shaorann muid agus atá mar chomhartha dóchais agus sóláis sna cúinsí reatha.
Agus sinn ag machnamh ar theachtaireacht Phádraig ar ár Lá Náisiúnta, déanaimis sin agus é mar inspioráid againn chun tuiscint roinnte níos doimhne a fhorbairt ar an gcinniúint eiseach atá ag bagairt ar an gcine daonna anois agus amach anseo, ar an mbeatha mar atá sé á chaitheamh agus á fhulaingt le hanró agus le trioblóid gan chúis. Smaoinímis ar struchtúr institiúideach a d’fheicfeadh gur deis atá i gceist le difríocht le muid a threorú i dtreo comhoibriú a chothóidh muid agus i dtreo spriocanna comhroinnte.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh ar fad, pobal na hÉireann, as an muinín a chuir sibh ionam le ceithre bliana déag anuas. Is mór an onóir agus an phribhléid i gcónaí é a bheith i mbun seirbhíse in bhur measc, casadh libh in bhur bpobail, agus bhur gcineáltas, bhur gcomhbhá agus bhur bhflaithiúlacht a fheiceáil ar iliomad bealaí éagsúla. Mairfidh an chuimhne sin liom i gcónaí.
Thug sibh an tacaíocht chéanna sin do Shaidhbhín, mo chomhpháirtí i ngach a raibh mé ag iarraidh a bhaint amach, agus táimid beirt fíorbhuíoch as sin; cuimhneoidh muid i gcónaí ar an bhfáilte a chuir sibh romhainn agus ar an aoibhneas a bhain le bheith in bhur gcomhluadar.
Meabhraítear dom i gcónaí go bhfuil, d’ainneoin na ndúshlán go léir atá romhainn, tiomantas domhain agus dochloíte i muintir na hÉireann chun féachaint lasmuigh dúinn féin mar dhaoine aonair, an duine eile a fheiceáil mar chara, agus seasamh le prionsabail na flaithiúlachta, an fhiúntais agus an aire dá chéile.
Agus deireadh mo thréimhse oifige ag teannadh linn creidim
go láidir fós san fhéidearthacht go mairfidh an iarracht leanúnach seo chun poblacht bunaithe ar chomhionannas, ar chuimsiú agus ar mheas ar a chéile a thógáil. Tiocfaidh sé chun bhláthú agus sinn ag doimhniú ár dtuisceana agus ár bhfeasacht agus muid ag glacadh freagracht agus sásamh as maireachtáil i dteannta a chéile go síochánta.
Ar Lá Fhéile Pádraig na bliana seo 2025, géillimis do spiorad Naomh Pádraig trínar bhfreagrachtaí dá chéile a aithint; bíodh sé mar rún againn dlúthpháirtíocht nua a chothú le chéile agus lenár dteaghlach domhanda, chomh maith lenár dtiomantas don dínit agus don leas uileghabhálach do gach duine a dhearbhú arís, agus sinn ag tógáil domhan atá cothrom agus trócaireach, mar léiriú ar an gcuid is fearr dár ndúchas mar dhaoine.
Guím Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona, síochánta agus lán dóchais oraibh go léir, cibé áit a bhfuil sibh.
Beir beannacht an lá is do’n todhchaí.
