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President of Irelandvisits St. Michaels School

A Day to Remember

Friday 28th September was a special day for

St. Michaels School. President of Ireland,

Michael D Higgins, visited our school to for-

mally launch our two-year Comenius Project,

Landmarks and Monuments.

We also welcomed Mayor of Galway, Terry

OFlaherty, and past pupils, Derek Nolan TD

and Brian Walsh TD (members of Dil or

national parliament). Other guests present

were our partners in the project; teachersfrom Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal,

Spain and Sweden; members of the School

Board of Management; members of our Par-

ents Association; and representatives of lo-

cal sporting, cultural and educational organi-

sations.

Zino Recalls the DayLast September, the President of Ireland Mr.

Michael D. Higgins came to launch our Comenius

project, Landmarks and Monuments. Firstly,

Mr. McInerney greeted the President and then

the staff and Comenius teachers were invited to

have their photograph taken with him. He wasthen brought to our hall where students, parents

and past pupils were waiting.

Mr. ODwyer was first to speak. He explained

what the Comenius project was about and the

work that went into it. Next, the choir sang Ride

On and Brahms Lullaby. Then, President Hig-

gins made a speech on the importance of culture

and heritage. He congratulated everyone on the

fantastic work so far and then officially launchedthe Comenius project. Mr. McInerney thanked

President Higgins for coming to our school. After

that Cosmin and Eoin presented the President

with a painting by Mrs. Terry Callaly. When the

President left the stage he was applauded.

President Higgins - BiographyMichael D Higgins was born in Limerick in 1941.

He studied in NUIG. In 1992 he became the first

recipient of the Sean McBride International Peace

Medal for his work for human rights.

He represented the people of Galway as City Coun-

cillor, and was Mayor of Galway twice. He was also

a Senator, a member of Dil ireann and a Minister

for Arts and the Gaeltacht. He has devoted most of

his life to education and to public service He has

made a huge contribution to culture and arts in this

country. He is a sociologist and a poet. His poetry

collections include The Betrayal, and The Season of

Fire.Michael D.Higgins is the ninth and current Presi-

dent of Ireland. On 11 November 2011, he was in-

augurated as the ninth President of Ireland.

Calvin ToyeSixth Class

Parliamentary Monuments and Citizenship Vol. 2

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ras an Uachtarin

This house was built by Nathaniel Clements 1751 in

the Phoenix Park near Dublin. By 1782 it had been

acquired for use by the Viceroys who oversaw Brit-

ish rule in Ireland. The house continued as the offi-

cial residence of the Viceroys until 1922. For the

next 16 years it was the residence of the Governors

General, the representatives of the English mon-

arch. In 1937 a new constitution was adopted inIreland and in 1938 Douglas Hyde became the first

President of Ireland. This building then became the

official residence of the President of Ireland and is

now known as ras an Uachtarin which means the

Residence of the President.

Presidential Seal

The harp is the seal of the President of Ireland.

It also appears on all acts of Dil ireann or the

Irish Parliament. It is used on the covers of offi-cial documents in Ireland such as the passport

and the driving licence. It also appears on the

obverse of Irish euro coins.

Presidential FactsThe President of Ireland is the head of state and

is directly elected every seven years.

Candidates for President must be at least 35

years old.

The official residence is ras an Uachtarin.

The President performs a largely ceremonial role.

He/she has the power to refer a bill to the Su-

preme Court.

Parliamentary

Monuments and Citizen-ship

The Ideal European CitizenPupils from Germany, Greece and Ireland col-

laborated to create a poster of the Ideal Euro-

pean Citizen. Pupils discussed the qualities of

this citizen, they made mind-maps, and they

talked about how they might portray the ideal

citizen.

Above is the finished poster. We have included

the insightful words that President Higgins

used when he launched our project in Galway,

Be Endlessly Curious. We felt that these

words were important not just for pupils and

teachers but for all citizens.