QUB Lectures - Michael D. Higgins: "There is nothing the public cannot understand if it is explained well"

Speaking at the sixth lecture in the Harri Holkeri lecture series at Queen's University Belfast, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, delivered an impassioned lecture from the Peter Froggat Center. 

The Irish President is an eloquent speaker who speaks with a poetic verse, addressing audiences regularly as "Dear Friends." The hour long lecture focused primarily on the Good Friday Agreement, a pivotal agreement passed 20 years ago.

From the offset, it was clear that this lecture was expanding on a variety of central themes: peace, reconcilliation, and Irish history. Tying these themes together was the understanding of how education and public engagement can tie such issues together.

Higgins argued that places of learning, such as universities, must engage with public discourses of communication. We must employ "mind work", a form of "sophisticated humanist reflection" in using history to understand and reconcile differing perspectives in Northern Ireland. Whilst emphasising that different perspectives are essential and natural in a society; different views must be respected. By sharing different views, we can maintain a shared society grounded on understanding.

It is evident from the lecture that the Irish President argues that the Good Friday Agreement continues to be a "living practice of peace and reconcilliation." By continuing to utilise it and help it to grow in the future, the future peace and stability of Norrhern Ireland can be maintained. Higgins maintains that we cannot have a "blanket amnesia" about Irish and Northern Irish history; understanding history, and the history of other societies and cultures, can help assure a collective future.

The Irish President spoke enthusiastically on contentious issues such as Brexit, climate change, and answered a question on the position of the LGBT community within society. He stated that when individuals begin to accept people as they are, society can begin to flourish on a greater level.

Throughout today's lecture, Michael D. Higgins continually refered to the importance of education in providing a platform for debate and sharing ideas. Such issues help provide a groundwork for the future, and the importance of the voice of students within this future.

Photo Credit: https://twitter.com/PresidentIRL/status/1001424131601190913?s=19 (@PresidentIRL on Twitter) 

By Jane Corscadden