The Sanders Institute is honored to welcome President Michael D. Higgins, who served as the ninth President of Ireland from 2011 to 2025, as its newest Distinguished Fellow. A renowned poet, scholar, broadcaster, and statesman, President Higgins has spent more than five decades advancing justice, equality, and human dignity through both public service and cultural leadership.
As a Distinguished Fellow of the Sanders Institute, President Higgins joins a respected network of thought leaders and changemakers from around the world who contribute to the Institute’s mission through public dialogue, research, and collaborative policy development. Fellows serve as educators, writers, and advocates, advancing bold, progressive solutions to the economic, social, and environmental challenges of our time.
“We are honored to welcome President Higgins to the Sanders Institute,” said Dr. Jane O’Meara Sanders, Co-Founder of the Sanders Institute. “His voice has inspired generations to pursue justice with compassion and imagination. His decades of leadership as a statesman, poet, and advocate for equality embody the very spirit of global dialogue and moral courage that drives our work.”
“I am delighted to be named as a Fellow of the Sanders Institute and to join with the very distinguished individuals across so many fields who are working to provide the ideas and values needed to confront the interacting crises facing all of us across the world. In these most challenging of times, Senator Bernie Sanders, Dr Jane O’Meara Sanders and so many of the Fellows of the Institute are providing a vital voice for global solidarity, and for the structural changes needed to overcome challenges such as food insecurity, malnutrition and global hunger, the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss, rising global poverty and deepening inequality, all of which are exacerbated by war. I look forward to contributing in any way which I can to the Sanders Institute’s important work in addressing these challenges. – Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, 2011-2025
During his presidency, President Higgins championed social inclusion, equality, environmental stewardship, and anti-racism. As Ireland’s first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997, he helped revive the Irish film industry, expand access to local arts and cultural venues, and lead the restoration of Ireland’s historic canal network — reopening more than 1,000 kilometres of waterways and supporting jobs across rural communities. A lifelong advocate for human rights, peace, and democracy, President Higgins has stood in solidarity with global movements in Nicaragua, Chile, Cambodia, Iraq, and Somalia. In 1992, he became the inaugural recipient of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize from the International Peace Bureau in recognition of his international work for peace and justice.
In addition to his political leadership, President Higgins is a noted poet and author. He has published two collections of essays: ‘Causes for Concern — Irish Politics, Culture and Society’, ‘Renewing the Republic’, and two collections of speeches: ‘When Ideas Matter: Speeches for an Ethical Republic’ and 1916 Centenary Commemorations and Celebrations: Speeches by President Michael D. Higgins. His literary and scholarly voice has helped shape public discourse around civic responsibility, the arts, and what it means to live in a vibrant, democratic society.
President Higgins’ appointment further strengthens the connection between the Sanders Institute and Ireland. Earlier this year, Dr. Jane O’Meara Sanders and her husband, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, visited Ireland with their son Dave Driscoll, Executive Director of the Sanders Institute. Together, they met with civic and cultural leaders in Dublin and Galway to explore shared progressive strategies around education reform, climate resilience, and democratic engagement. This new fellowship formalizes a bridge between the Sanders Institute’s progressive agenda and Ireland’s rich tradition of cultural leadership and social justice activism.