Michael D Higgins

President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins has spoken out about the importance of Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to Ireland in 2011, branding the visit ...

In the emotional address, the King expressed 'feelings of profound sorrow' following the passing of his 'beloved mother.' President Higgins noted that a very interesting thing was the late Queen's consistency in wanting to build peace with Ireland. 'Irish independence is why we're here. The President reiterated that he found the most interesting thing was the Queen's consistency in building bridges between the people of Ireland and England. So the idea of somebody standing in front of a monument to those who sought independence and separation from an empire -- it was a very very significant statement, as was the statement in relation to the Irish language.' Michael D Higgins recalled the importance of Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to Ireland in 2011, branding the visit -- and his return visit in 2014 -- as 'significantly important.'