An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2018/Jan 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 8 | BY SGT WAYNE FITZGERALD PHOTOS BY ARMN JAMIE BARRETT "I want to thank you, the people of Ireland, for the honour you have again bestowed on me, an honour I accept with all the energy of mind and heart that is required for the trust your mandate has placed on me." – President Michael D. Higgins, 11th November 2018, Dublin Castle O n the 11th November 2018 Michael D. Higgins was inaugurated for his second term as President of Ireland and Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces in St. Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle. Approximately 300 members of the Defence Forces were involved in the ceremonial aspects of the Presidential Inau- guration including a Captain's Escort of Honour under the command of Capt Fionn McCaffrey and members of the 2 Cav Sqn. A Captain's Guard of Honour under the command of Capt Sean McGourty and members of the 28 Inf Bn. A Colour Party under the command of Captain Dave Murphy, 3 Inf Bn and included NCOs PO Tom O'Donovan, PO Connor McCrory and Sgt Mark Corcoran, and Attending Officers and Flag Officers. The officer in charge of the Fly Past was Lt James Northover, and included pilots Lt Colm Kenna and Lt Tadgh Firman. Music was provided by a composite Band of 2 Brigade (Athlone) conducted by Capt Thomas Kelly, who performed in the upper yard of Dublin Castle and the Army No.1 Band (Dublin) conducted by Capt Fergal Carroll who per- formed in the gallery of St. Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle. The 2 Bde Arty Regt also provided a 21 Gun Salute, from across the River Liffey in the grounds of Collins Barracks, Dublin. Article 13.4 of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland states that, "The supreme command of the Defence Forces is hereby vested in the President". Here are some of his words from his inaugural speech that pertain to the Defence Forces: "At global level conflicts are growing, cohesion informed by even the most basic values of co-operation is being made fragile. It is in this context that Ireland's voice is so important. It will over the next seven years be necessary to reaffirm Ireland's commitment to peace-building and multilateral- ism as defining marks of our foreign policy, and one of our greatest strengths. Our tradition of a diplomacy grounded in normative principles rather than the constraints of narrow interests, has served us well in the world. Since we first joined the League of Nations – a centenary we will soon mark – and throughout our time in the United Nations, Ireland has won international respect through our work on peace-building, from disarmament to our leader- ship in addressing consequences of colonisation and the priority we have placed on humanitarian and human rights concerns. We can, and must, be advocates for the inclusion of diverse peoples, traditions, and belief systems in a peaceful world assisted by strong multi-lateral in- stitutions, them- selves supported by a deeper global consciousness, one derived from the irreducible rights of human dignity. One where we can recognise the complexities of history while com- ing together to address common global challenges. The work of ethical memory and the new tasks of imagination sit side by side. It was important, earlier on this special day, to privilege the duty of respectful memory, espe- cially for all those descendants and relatives of those who lost their lives in the first of those two World Wars that marked the previous century; that First World War that cost so many of the lives of a young generation, and devastated families across Europe. As to memory itself, one of the challenges we in Ireland will face in the next seven years will be our public, formal and scholarly remembering of important change-making, change-inducing, events which, while shared, were experi- enced differently, and are subject to competing constructions in the present." Inauguration of Uachtarán na hÉireann - Michael D. Higgins

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