19/11/2025
A New Ireland and Shared Future
By Michelle O’Neill in the Irish News
Today’s inauguration of the new President of Ireland marks a moment of renewal and hope for our entire island. It is an occasion that belongs to every community across this shared home of ours.
Presidential inaugurations are about continuity but also change. They remind us that each generation must redefine what Ireland means – ...
A New Ireland and Shared Future
By Michelle O’Neill in the Irish News
Today’s inauguration of the new President of Ireland marks a moment of renewal and hope for our entire island. It is an occasion that belongs to every community across this shared home of ours.
Presidential inaugurations are about continuity but also change. They remind us that each generation must redefine what Ireland means – and who it includes. The Presidency, as a unifying symbol, invites us to reflect on the kind of Irish nation we are becoming – confident in our diversity and ambitious for the future. We are on a national journey beyond the old limits of the past.
We also pay tribute to President Michael D. Higgins, whom throughout his public life, has been a passionate political voice for working people, a poet and gifted writer, a renowned academic and a tireless champion of human rights. He has served Ireland with distinction, dignity and heart, promoting all that is good in Ireland – our people, our creativity, our culture, and our democratic values. He understood the struggles faced by the people, and where he saw unfairness, inequality or injustice, he named it — and demanded action.
For those of us in the North, the Presidency has always represented something deeper than a constitutional office. It speaks to an idea of belonging – one that transcends borders and traditions.
Many communities across the North have long looked to Áras an Uachtaráin for a sense of belonging and as a connection point to the Irish nation. Partition has caused division, but today, in a time of peace, we continue to build a new Ireland and a shared future.
President Connolly recognises that the Presidency is a unifying symbol. It speaks to the hearts of people throughout the whole island. In her public life she has championed inclusion, fairness, and community. She will be a President who will bring the country together, who will be inclusive of all traditions, including our unionist neighbours on the island, and actively represent Irish citizens in every part of Ireland.
This must be the last election where Irish citizens in the North cannot vote to elect their President.
We are living through a period of momentous and positive change. The Good Friday Agreement generation is now coming of age – a generation that has known peace, expects progress, and believes in the power of co-operation.
Our national journey is moving now from peace to unity, through a peaceful, organised and planned transition, opening a new chapter in British-Irish relations.
The prospect of a new, agreed Ireland – one built on consent, equality, and mutual respect – is not something to fear but to prepare for. It represents the natural evolution of the peace process and the legitimate democratic expression of the people of this island.
Relationships across this island have never mattered more. Every day we see the benefits of cooperation – in healthcare, education, tourism, energy, and trade. All-Ireland partnership is not a slogan but a statement of what works – communities working side by side to build prosperity, equality, and opportunity.
The Presidency, by its nature, represents the best of who we are as a people. As a voice for inclusion, equality, and humanity, the President embodies the values that unite us. The President of Ireland shares a deep connection, affinity and empathy with the Irish abroad. The office reminds us that Irishness is not a narrow definition but a living inheritance – broad, generous, inclusive.
As First Minister I look forward to engaging with President Connolly and working together to advance reconciliation and strengthening relationships in our society, across Ireland, and between our islands.
My efforts are towards building a society where respect and reconciliation are at the heart of public and community life. Working across party lines I am providing leadership, with others, that reflects the will of the people to move forward with compassion and courage – to deliver for families, and to ensure politics makes a real difference in people’s everyday lives.
On this inauguration day, as President Connolly takes her solemn pledge to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland, we are reminded that fulfilling this promise will require new ways and means from those of partitionist minds and systems.
Ireland is rapidly changing – it should be embraced as a moment of opportunity. We have a chance to build a fairer and united Ireland – one that reflects the hopes of all its people and the potential of every community – especially our young people.
The new President will have a vital role in shaping the new chapter – in speaking to the conscience of the nation and reminding us that unity begins with dialogue, generosity, and vision.
I offer my warmest congratulations to Uachtarán Catherine Connolly and her family on this special occasion for them all. It is a day to celebrate how far we have come and to look forward with optimism and purpose to the future.
This article first appeared in the November 11th edition of the Irish News.
