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Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Michael D Higgins to attend Armistice event (but not as President) before evening inauguration

His first term as President officially ended at midnight.

MICHAEL D HIGGINS will be formally inaugurated as President of Ireland for the second time at Dublin Castle this evening.

At midnight last night his first term officially ended and for around 18 hours Ireland will not officially have a President.

That’s nothing to worry about though, as those duties are taken over by the Presidential Commission during that time. There is no legislation currently waiting to be signed by the President and even if there was, there is always a three-day window for bills and he could sign it tonight after the inauguration.

Normally, the inauguration would take place at noon, but this time Higgins asked the government to move it to evening to facilitate events for the centenary of World War I Armistice taking place earlier in the day.

The government has asked President Higgins to represent the people of Ireland at the State event in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin to mark the centenary of the end of the war.

It was important for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to write to Higgins with this request. He will not be there as President of Ireland, but at the request of the government as a representative of the people.

During the time between the end of his term and the inauguration this evening, he does not have an official title – we do not have the term ‘President-elect’ in the Irish Constitution.

This evening Higgins will leave the Áras at 6pm and will be accompanied by his usual escort to Dublin Castle, where members of the Houses of the Oireachtas will be waiting.

He will then take an oath and sign some paperwork and as the band kicks in to mark the moment, he will be deemed officially inaugurated as Pesident of Ireland for the second time.

Two flags will be raised – one in Dublin Castle and another at the Áras to indicate that there is a sitting president.

Higgins will then return to the Áras for an evening reception.

We’ll have more on the inauguration later today.

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49 Comments
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    Mute Stephen Kearon
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    Nov 11th 2018, 9:12 AM

    Hope he wears the Irish Poppy to remember all the Irish men and women from this island who died during WW1. They joined up for different reasons, but all made the ultimate sacrifice and deserved to be remembered. In a democracy everyone has the right to wear a poppy or not, and be respected for their decision

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    Mute Willy Mc Caul
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:23 AM

    @Stephen Kearon: Why not a shamrock..
    Those in Glasnevin I’m sure wouldn’t support the poppy. You I’m sure are a true blue..

    62
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    Mute dublincomments
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:24 AM

    @Stephen Kearon: there are many way to remember Irish men and women who died during war. Wearing synonyms of british military charities is not one of them.
    For the supreme commander of the Irish defence forces to wear a poppy is tantamount to treason.

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:25 AM

    @Stephen Kearon: Would you say the same about the Easter Lily?

    33
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    Mute Martin O Donnell
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:37 AM

    @Stephen Kearon: it would be better if our politicians wore a tri colour unreal how they shy away from that but wear other idiotic symbols get them out and let real Irish politicians in who are proud to be Irish

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    Mute Bernard
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:54 AM

    @Stephen Kearon: Why this obsession with separating Ireland from the rest of the world? The poppy is almost universally recognised in the Western world – and India and South East Asia for that matter – as a symbol of remembrance. It signifies we’re all connected. Having an “Irish Poppy” rather misses the whole point.

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    Mute Teresa Ryan
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    Nov 11th 2018, 12:31 PM

    @Stephen Kearon: What do you think he should wear to commemorate the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Irish people which occurred just 69 years before the start of WW1?

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    Mute Braonain Proinseas
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    Nov 11th 2018, 4:32 PM

    @Bernard: well said spot on

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    Mute Darragh Hayden Art
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    Nov 12th 2018, 2:50 AM

    @Bernard: connected to what exactly ???

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    Mute Carm(Orange Vampire)
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    Nov 11th 2018, 9:20 AM

    Since he is a regular Joe Bloggs till 6pm does that mean he will have to dress himself, feed himself, drive himself to Glasnevin etc because he has no staff to run around after him today.

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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Nov 11th 2018, 9:26 AM

    @Carm(Orange Vampire): No it just means he can’t be forced to sign the return of the Water Charges today

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    Mute Margate
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:12 AM

    @Johnny Mason: gosh, you guys must lead very begrudging lives, couldn’t just omit the mud slinging for 1 day- even for the memories of lost loved ones..pretty pathetic.

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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:23 AM

    @Margate: when it is clearly apparent that leaders of many Countries sent these loved ones unnecessarily to their graves it is justified to to remind your so called graceful eloquent coherent and sincere manners Presidents of today; Society as a whole will not be used as fodder for Political gains in today’s World

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    Mute Darragh Hayden Art
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    Nov 12th 2018, 2:57 AM

    @Margate: lost loved ones who were sent to the death fields by the political class of the time as fodder for the glory and survival of the elite.

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    Mute Dáithí O Raghailaigh
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    Nov 11th 2018, 8:27 AM

    no interest…

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    Mute Johnny Mason
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    Nov 11th 2018, 9:10 AM

    Just wondering is he attending as unpaid employment( Freebie ) or will he receive a back dated wage

    58
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    Mute Cian Nolan
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    Nov 11th 2018, 1:35 PM

    @Johnny Mason: Pretty sure he’s not paid per event.

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    Mute Eire
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    Nov 11th 2018, 8:49 AM

    Not as president! Good! He won’t be wearing the war mongers Poppy (or whatever version of it they want to spin) in my name!!!!

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    Mute Dave Daniels
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:17 AM

    @Eire: your fake profile name is it?

    25
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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:27 AM

    @Dave Daniels: No, his mother really loves Ireland……Jeez

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    Mute Derek Walsh Ⓥ
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:31 AM

    @Pixie McMullen: Eire (as opposed to Éire) is the Irish word for a burden. His mother had great foresight.

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    Mute Bernard
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    Nov 11th 2018, 11:01 AM

    @Eire: In all, about 210,000 Irishmen served during World War One. Since there was no conscription, about 140,000 of these joined during the war as volunteers. Some 35,000 Irish died. The fact that many were Nationalist, many Unionist, all Irish, serving together with distinction in Irish regiments has often since been forgotten or whitewashed from Irish history.
    Alongside Aussies, Kiwis, over a million Indians etc.
    But they weren’t from “your side” so to buggery with them? Right.

    22
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    Mute Teresa Ryan
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    Nov 11th 2018, 12:36 PM

    @Bernard: Do you feel just as strongly about the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Irish people that occurred just 69 years earlier?

    Why do the British not commemorate the deaths of so many of their people? Do dead Irish only count if they are in British uniform?

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    Mute Darragh Hayden Art
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    Nov 12th 2018, 3:00 AM

    @Dave Daniels: your point ?

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    Mute Seán O'Nilbud
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    Nov 12th 2018, 7:03 AM

    @Bernard: Exactly correct you weak minded sniveller.

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    Mute Margate
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:02 AM

    Thankfully we have a Statesman to represent us in a graceful, eloquent, coherent and sincere manner in memory of the tens of thousands who lost their lives – And those events are viewed globally so he will never let us down. Plus he selflessy prioritized this Event Before his own inauguration.

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:32 AM

    @Margate: Yeah, put being inaugurated as President of Ireland as second in importance,is going to this masquerade as an ordinary civilian, and will cap off his day with his big party anyway….take off those rose tinted glasses

    28
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    Mute Margate
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    Nov 11th 2018, 11:27 AM

    @Pixie McMullen: What exactly do you want him to do today??? Stop the incessant mud slinging and begrudgery.

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    Mute Teresa Ryan
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    Nov 11th 2018, 12:40 PM

    @Margate: His inauguration as President of Ireland should have taken precedence over everything else?

    Postponing it only highlights how irrelevant he and Irish politicans think the our country really is.

    No other country would have postponed a presidential inauguration under any circumstances.

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    Mute Darragh Hayden Art
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    Nov 12th 2018, 3:02 AM

    @Margate: I take it by your comment , that you mean you like someone representing us that likes to waffle , waffle ,waffle

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    Mute John Smith
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    Nov 11th 2018, 8:38 AM

    Who will he be attending as???

    33
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    Mute Daniel O'Connor
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    Nov 11th 2018, 9:16 AM

    @John Smith: as a representative of the people…..as clearly stated in the article

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    Mute Fr.Todd Unctious
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    Nov 11th 2018, 8:13 AM

    Breaking news

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    Mute Pl O'neill
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:10 AM

    Will Grubby Grabby Money D’s Expenses Surface or are they being buried in a Trench Somewhere .

    40
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    Mute Moss Cotter
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    Nov 11th 2018, 10:25 AM

    It is no great honourable thing for any opportunist politician or publicity seeking hypocrite to take part in what has become a kind of mass mania this time every year pretending to honour those that were slaughtered for at best spurious reasons..however it would be an honourable thing to do to speak out on behalf of those that are currently being slaughtered..over to you Michael D. https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/25/how-many-millions-have-been-killed-in-americas-post-9-11-wars-part-3-libya-syria-somalia-and-yemen/

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    Mute David Thomas
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    Nov 11th 2018, 11:18 AM

    Atheist Ireland is today launching a ‘One Oath For All’ campaign, to enable conscientious atheists to hold the office of President, Judge, Taoiseach, or other members of the Council of State. This is because, in order to take office as President, Judge, or Taoiseach, we would have to swear a religious oath that would force us to dissemble about our beliefs, and breach our human right to freedom of conscience and belief.

    We want a referendum to replace these religiously discriminatory oaths in our Constitution, so that all citizens of our Republic can be treated equally regardless of their religious or nonreligious beliefs. These public office-holders should instead make a single declaration of loyalty to the Irish Constitution, State, and people, that does not reveal anything about the person’s religious or nonreligious beliefs.

    https://atheist.ie/2018/11/one-oath-for-all/

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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Nov 11th 2018, 11:09 PM

    @David Thomas: personally, I don’t give a diddle about these religious oaths. They mean nothing to me and have no repercussions if I subsequently break the oath. You might as well as me to swear by the power of greyskull.

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    Mute Darragh Hayden Art
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    Nov 12th 2018, 3:07 AM

    @Robin Pickering: Personally I couldn’t care less what you think. However the Atheist ‘One Oath For All’ campaign seems like a reasonable request.

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    Mute Braonain Proinseas
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    Nov 11th 2018, 4:31 PM

    We must never forget. So many fallen.never forger.

    4
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