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President Higgins begins three-day official visit to England with trip to 'significant destination' Birmingham

Speaking today, Higgins recalled those who emigrated from Ireland to Birmingham.

LAST UPDATE | 11 Feb 2019

President Michael D Higgins visit to Birmingham President Michael D Higgins in Birmingham today. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has kicked-off an official visit to England today, with Birmingham and Liverpool on the itinerary for the three-day trip.

The president and his wife Sabina will visit organisations and institutions of importance to the Irish community in the two major cities, and will be joined by Minister of State Pat Breen and Irish Ambassador Adrian O’Neill.

This will be Higgins’ third official visit to Liverpool as president, but his first to Birmingham.

Today, Higgins met with Birmingham Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito, which was followed by a civic reception with leading figures from the business, arts and Irish communities in the city.

Speaking this afternoon, Higgins recalled those who’ve emigrated from Ireland to Birmingham, the UK’s second most populous city.

“As I make my first trip to Birmingham as President of Ireland, I am more than aware doing so that I am following in the footsteps of generations of Irish emigrants who left our shores and made their way to Birmingham, settling here and becoming part of the fabric of the city,” Higgins said. 

Higgins also spoke of the city as a “significant destination” for Irish emigrants during the Great Famine (1845-1849). 

Higgins Birmingham. President Michael D Higgins with Birmingham Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito this afternoon. Twitter.com Twitter.com

The presidential couple will later visit a memorial to the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings and meet with representatives of the victims’ families. Later today, they will visit the headquarters of the Birmingham Irish Association.

Tomorrow, Higgins travels to Liverpool.

At the University of Liverpool, he’ll be greeted by Prince Charles and they will meet the Institute of Irish Studies staff, students and academics. They’ll both formalise their roles by signing a joint patronage agreement of the institute.

On Wednesday, President Higgins and Sabina will visit the headquarters of the Liverpool Irish Association followed by a reception with members of the Irish diaspora in the city. 

They’ll also take in the Liverpool Library, the Liverpool World Museum and the Liverpool Central Library before returning to Ireland on Wednesday evening. 

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    Mute Declan Edward
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:07 AM

    More waffle

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    Mute Liam O’Conchubhair
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:11 AM

    @Declan Edward: how?

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:14 AM

    @Liam O’Conchubhair: I doubt we’ll get a decent answer to support this edgy statement.

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    Mute Liam O’Conchubhair
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:35 AM

    @Paul Furey: true.

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    Mute Declan Edward
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    Feb 11th 2019, 11:09 AM

    @Liam O’Conchubhair: he’s a waffler. Simple as. Spent most of his life in the West of Ireland and speaks with a contrived accent, almost sees himself as a royal and expects that treatment, meanwhile the hoi polloi lap it up. Don’t understand it at all.

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    Mute SF Ankle Tapper
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    Feb 11th 2019, 11:13 AM

    @Declan Edward: accent is a total invention..

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 11:23 AM

    @Declan Edward:
    Just because you don’t understand him I suggest you keep a good dictionary beside you when reading his speeches or read his book, Ideas Matter. Also you say “He spent most of his life in the West of Ireland”! What a despicable crime! We know who the waffler is.

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    Mute Declan Edward
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    Feb 11th 2019, 12:48 PM

    @Mary Cahill: haha where did I indicate that I didn’t know what he says?! If anything I’m over-educated, and most people that know me would agree!

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    Mute SF Ankle Tapper
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    Feb 11th 2019, 1:38 PM

    @Mary Cahill: read his book .l!!!have you heard his speeches??

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 1:41 PM

    @Declan Edward:
    Your opening comment ‘more waffle’ shows that you don’t understand what he is say or you are not even listening. Anyone with the smallest amount of education would know that. Maybe people who are over-educated don’t!

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    Mute Darius Guppy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:12 PM

    @Mary Cahill: his speeches are only made to look good by his poetry, because they are pure muck.

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    Mute Rebecca De Stanleigh
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    Feb 11th 2019, 5:49 PM

    @Declan Edward: You’re ‘over educated’?

    Doubt it. Michael D spent time in college in the States and the UK. Did you? Have you spent time in war torn countries around the world in order to write about them? How in God’s name can you say he spent ‘most of his life in the West of Ireland’?!

    My god lad. Stop embarrassing yourself.

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    Mute Cathal Murphy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 6:50 PM

    @Declan Edward: oh, ok, sorry, we didn’t realise. It’s ok, everyone, he’s over-educated.

    Sorry Declan, we should have realised earlier. It’s just, it wasn’t obvious from your posts…

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    Mute Whingy McWhingy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 7:48 PM

    @Declan Edward: over educated maybe, but not very intelligent !

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 8:42 PM

    @Darius Guppy:
    Another person who can’t understand what Michael D is saying. Obviously over-educated.

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    Mute Donal Carey
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:41 AM

    This is another complete waste of Government funds this man cries and preaches everyday about the injustices done to people all over the world while he lives in a mansion in the Phoenix Park and buys properties all over the west of Ireland. Another waste of a Million a year.

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    Mute BAAB
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:04 AM

    Yet again is Mickey D gone over to eat the Queen out
    of house and home????.

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    Mute PATO DUNNE
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:06 AM

    @BAAB: that just sounds so wrong on so many levels.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:19 AM

    The gov are sending mickey d over to england because leos dogged stance and damaging public profile with the EU is putting a strain on Ireland’s relationship with the UK, and leos after forgetting that we still need to do a lot of business with the UK after brexit.

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    Mute T Beckett is back
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:23 AM

    @Adrian:

    It’s not Leo’s stance, the British are trying to break the terms of their legal agreement with the EU.

    It’s not our fault they can’t run their own country.

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Feb 11th 2019, 10:00 AM

    @Adrian: How are we damaging anything with the UK? Do you think it’s because we haven’t set up a border for them on this island? While a third of all exports go to the UK it’s not as high a percentage as it always was. And it already dropped in 2018 due to Brexit. And if all things continue as they are with the UK led Brexit, there will be no or else heavily tarrifed trade anyway between us and them.

    So hard luck with this Leo whinge.

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    Mute Darius Guppy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:14 PM

    @T Beckett is back: there is no legal agreement with the EU, none. The WA was not agreed by the British Parliament and therefore there was no agreement. The EU and the Idrissa government were all too aware that there was no agreement until parliament voted it through.

    If there are legally binding agreements, why do the EU not force the British to honour them?

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    Mute Darius Guppy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:28 PM

    @Darius Guppy: *Irish government (not Idrissa).

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    Mute John Flood
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    Feb 11th 2019, 10:22 AM

    Really, does he need to travel so much? And I doubt he brings in any dosh by visiting England…

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    Mute Whingy McWhingy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 7:50 PM

    @John Flood: you have a very limited understanding of how commerce works I would suggest

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    Mute Jessie Ginger
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    Feb 12th 2019, 11:07 AM

    @John Flood: Do you only ever put a monetary value on something?

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    Mute Josh Hanners
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    Feb 11th 2019, 1:52 PM

    This “President of the People” voted in a tax amnesty forgiving tax evaders all monies due, at a time when PAYE workers were paying 65% tax on their earnings.
    He can waffle all he likes but it’s deeds that count, not words.

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    Mute Whingy McWhingy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 7:51 PM

    @Josh Hanners: shush now, if you stop talking people may forget how limited your comments are, shushhhhh

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    Mute Josh Hanners
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    Feb 11th 2019, 10:15 PM

    @Whingy McWhingy: What a totally inane comment.

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    Mute thejamer
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    Feb 11th 2019, 10:07 AM

    He will go to England to meet with members of the royal family but couldn’t be bothered to attend the commemoration at Soloheadbeg.

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 11:26 AM

    @thejamer:
    You obviously don’t understand why he refused to go to Soloheadbeg.

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    Mute Brian Moss
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:28 AM

    Jasus Don’t let Phillip take him on a ‘little spot of driving’

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    Mute Coco86
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    Feb 11th 2019, 8:54 PM

    @Brian Moss: Imagine Michael D in the passenger seat with you.

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    Mute Gowon Geter
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:23 PM

    Waffle waffle and more waffle, would rather see some action from Mickey D than waffle.

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 8:44 PM

    @Gowon Geter:
    You obviously don’t know the constitutional powers of an Irish president.

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    Mute T Beckett is back
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    Feb 11th 2019, 9:14 AM

    Tell them to stay away from the border counties Mickey, or we bring back the Columns.

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    Mute Marcus Massey
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    Feb 11th 2019, 12:13 PM

    Yvonne Mosquito????? Brilliant name!

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    Mute Josh Hanners
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    Feb 11th 2019, 3:13 PM

    @Marcus Massey: Biting personality?

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    Mute Bryan Kelly
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:38 PM

    There’s some more money could go to nurses, teachers, soldiers and Gards.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 11th 2019, 4:21 PM

    Good for him! How much is the hotel costing?

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    Mute Jimmy Journalnose
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    Feb 11th 2019, 6:34 PM

    Little Hobbit

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    Mute Whingy McWhingy
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    Feb 11th 2019, 7:52 PM

    @Jimmy Journalnose: did that take you long to think up?

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    Mute Mary Cahill
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    Feb 11th 2019, 8:46 PM

    @Jimmy Journalnose: A really erudite comment.

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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Feb 11th 2019, 6:47 PM

    I don’t like the man much but I admire his decision to show empathy with the poor people who were savagely butchered in our name in one of the I.R.A’s many shameful atrocities..

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    Mute Teresa Ryan
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    Feb 11th 2019, 10:55 PM

    @John Mc Donagh: Has he ever attended the commemorations for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. They too were savagely butchered by members of the crown forces. It was the worst atrocity of the Troubles.

    But hey ho, they were only Irish people.

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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Feb 11th 2019, 11:27 PM

    @Teresa Ryan:——And so that atrocity by the Glenane gang of Loyalist murderers justifies all the similar butchery by the I.R.A???

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    Mute pat seery
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    Feb 11th 2019, 6:55 PM

    Winner did he go by boat

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    Mute Woods PJ
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    Feb 12th 2019, 5:21 AM

    Actually embarrassed & now turn sound to mute when i see this yoke on representing our country.Hobbit,Frodo alongside that accent omg cringe!

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