Reclaiming the European Street

Speeches on Europe and the European Union, 2016-20

Michael D. Higgins, Joachim Fischer, Fergal Lenehan

• Publisher: The Lilliput Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781843517948
• eBook ISBN: 9781843517986
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Irish History
• Index: History

'From Covid-19 we have been reminded, through tragedy and suffering, that we have a shared, globalized vulnerability common to all humanity … The lessons of necessity and solidarity learned during the pandemic must now inform a European-led transition to a just and ecologically sustainable society in its aftermath.'

President Michael D. Higgins is one of the few public intellectuals to engage regularly with the abstract idea of an alternative European space, and to consistently reimagine it. Yet public discussions regarding Ireland's closer links with the European Union often remain purely utilitarian and economic, or take place only within academia. Here, in Reclaiming the European Street, in over twenty lively discourses, President Higgins lays out his vision for Europe.

This is the first gathering of all the President's Europe-themed speeches from 2016 to 2020. They deal with wide-ranging contemporary issues, from the 1916 Centenary celebrations to the Brexit decision of June 2016 and the Covid-19 pandemic: the latter, in particular, has shunted the European Union into a worldwide arena through its role in helping Member States cope with economic and human fallout.

As well as translations into Irish, French and German, a comprehensive introduction by the editors gives context to the speeches within wider Irish and European intellectual history. Stamped by President Higgins' inimitable intellectual rigour and empathy, these documents also express fundamental concerns on behalf of the Irish people. His generous pluralist view of history and embracing of a liberal secular society make this volume essential reading for any citizen seeking to understand the role of Ireland within the European Union.

Table of contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• I. EUROPEAN HISTORY AND MEMORY
• In Honour of Roger Casement
• A Forgotten Polish Hero of the Great Irish Famine: Paul Strzelecki’s Struggle to Save Thousands of Lives
• The Great Flu of 1918–19: Why Remember? Why Forget?
• Remembering the Holocaust
• II. TOWARDS A SOCIAL EUROPE
• A New European Mind and the Need to Rejuvenate Discourse
• Trade Unions and the European Future
• Parliamentary Democracy in the European Union
• Solidarity in Europe: Achieving Authenticity on the European Street
• III. THINKING ABOUT EUROPE
• On the State of Democracy in Our Changing World
• Overcoming Disciplinary Boundaries
• Ethical Challenges for the European Union
• The Idea of Home
• IV. CONNECTING EUROPEAN CULTURES
• Of Greece and Ireland: An Ancient and Enduring Relationship Full of New Possibilities
• Pangur Bán
• Ireland and Germany
• Ireland and the Netherlands
• Ireland and Sweden
• Ireland and Lithuania: Towards a Shared Future Within the European Union
• Ireland and Croatia
• V. THE FUTURE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
• Giving the European Union a Future That Will Engage Citizens: A Shared Challenge
• The Future of Europe: Re-Balancing Ecology, Economics and Ethics
• Europe and Africa: Towards a New Relationship
• VI. A MULTILINGUAL EUROPE – TRANSLATIONS INTO IRISH, FRENCH AND GERMAN
• Pangur Bán
• Une certaine idée de « la maison »
• Die Zukunft Europas: Ökologie, Wirtschaft und Ethik – Eine neue Balance finden
• Postscript on the COVID-19 Crisis: Towards a Europe Resolute in Its Vindication of the Most Vulnerable Among Us
• Bibliography
• Illustrations
• Copyright