President Michael D. Higgins was elected the ninth President of Ireland in 2011. He was re-elected in 2018, securing the largest number of votes in Irish presidential election history. President Higgins is both an academic and a poet, as well as a public representative who has served at every level of public life in Ireland, including as a member of Dáil Éireann for twenty-five years and of Seanad Éireann for nine. He has campaigned worldwide for human rights, inclusive citizenship and climate sustainability. His previous books include When Ideas Matter: Speeches for an Ethical Republic (2016)