Michael D. Higgins

Garbės daktaras / Honorary Doctor (Suteiktas vardas 2018-05-28)

Michael D. Higgins is an Irish politician, writer, and President of the Republic of Ireland (since 2011).

He is also an active human rights defender whose initiatives extend beyond Ireland to countries such as Nicaragua, Chile, Cambodia, Iraq, and Somalia. In 1992, President Higgins was awarded the Seán MacBride Peace Prize by the International Peace Bureau in Helsinki. He has received honorary doctorates from Indiana University (USA), the University of Western Australia, and other higher education institutions.

He served as the Mayor of Galway from 1981 to 1982 and again from 1990 to 1991, and as Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997. He was also a Member of the Irish Parliament from 1987 to 2011.

Mr. Higgins has made a significant contribution to promoting the use of the Irish language and strengthening economic and social development. He initiated the establishment of the first Irish-language television station, repealed censorship laws, and contributed to the creation of arts centres in Ireland.

As a politician, poet, writer, academic, statesman, human rights advocate, and promoter of creative ideas, President Higgins remains at the forefront of contemporary Irish politics, and his role in advancing the arts, humanities, and education in Ireland and beyond is undisputed.

The title of Honorary Doctor of Vytautas Magnus University was conferred on His Excellency Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, for his merits in the fields of international cooperation, peacekeeping, and strengthening of democracy, as well as for his significant contribution to fostering the values of freedom, justice, and solidarity.

Honorary Doctorate Acceptance Speech by President Michael D. Higgins