Habitat for Humanity Ireland is delighted to announce that President Michael D. Higgins has accepted our invitation to be our sole Patron.

The President’s recent visit to our renovation project at Inchicore created a huge momentum and we are thrilled to have his continued support as we approach our ten year anniversary in Ireland.

We look forward to working with the President over the coming months and years to advance our mission.  We greatly appreciate the President’s support in highlighting the needs of the many families who require simple, decent housing. His support will also promote the valuable work of our volunteers who are a practical example of the active, inclusive citizenship he spoke about in his inauguration address.

The President visited our renovation project on Emmet Road, Inchicore on the 16th April 2012. This video captures some highlights of the visit:

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Watch the President’s speech in full:

Read the President’s speech here.

Photos

Media coverage of the day:

We received a lot of media coverage on the day from both broadcast and print. It was featured on the RTE News at Six One and Nine O’Clock. You can watch the clip on the RTE Player. It was also featured on TV3′s Midweek programme.

The Irish Times uploaded this video to their website and linked it through the main photo on their homepage. Have a look at Steven Carroll’s piece in the Irish Times and Mark O’Regan’s piece in the Irish Independent. The Journal also wrote a piece on the event available online.

It is also on page 16 of the Irish Daily Star on the 17th April.