Watch the stunning video for new track “The Betrayal” HERE
“Against All Certainty”, the highly anticipated spoken-word album by President Michael D. Higgins, is out now and available HERE
The album release is accompanied by the stunning video ‘The Betrayal’ starring Ciaran Hinds, Eanna Hardewicke, Ruth McGill and directed by lauded visionary and creator Ellius Grace. Watch HERE
Against All Certainty”, the debut spoken-word collection by the President, features 10 original works and is underscored beautifully by a stunning musical composition from celebrated musician Myles O’Reilly.
The album debuted at #3 on the Official Irish Album Chart becoming the biggest physical selling artist in the charts that week and the biggest Week 1 (volume) of any spoken-word album in the Irish Charts (on record).
Speaking on its release, the President delighted:
“It is a tremendous honour to release my first spoken-word collection, Against All Certainty. I owe a particular debt of appreciation to Myles O’Reilly, the wonderful artist of so many mediums who has immersed himself in my poetry and produced a wonderful musical backdrop which elevates the poems and allows for a level of intimacy between the listener and the poem..”
“I would like to thank all at Claddagh Records for making this record possible, and for all the work which they have done, following in the footsteps of co-founder Garech Browne, in bringing recorded poetry to the public over the decades. I am very proud to follow in that tradition and I hope that listeners will enjoy the collection.”
The collaboration between the President & Musician/Producer Myles O’Reilly has led to an excellent body of work, one of significant cultural importance. Recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin, listeners will find themselves enveloped in the incredibly interesting life and times of the poet, from childhood to adulthood, before he became Ireland’s ninth President.
Sebastian Barry, novelist and Laureate for Irish Fiction, describes this incredibly immersive album:
“These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D Higgins — not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry. Readers and listeners will be astonished by their inspired truthfulness and their lovely adroitness of line. ‘…a new fire And a new day.”
To celebrate the release of Against All Certainty and honouring the Presidents profound and enduring contribution to the arts, culture, and society in Ireland, the National Concert Hall hosted an extraordinary evening of poetry and music on Friday 5th September – ‘Against All Certainty: A Celebration of Michael D. Higgins’.
The completely sold-out event was hosted by much-loved presenter Tommy Tiernan. The centrepiece of the evening showcased live performances of President Higgins’s own poems, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland conducted by David Brophy.
It also featured an exceptional line-up of Ireland’s most acclaimed artists and musicians including Mary Coughlan, Paul Brady, Imelda May, Andy Irvine & Brían Mac Gloinn (of Ye Vagabonds), master fiddle player Martin Hayes, Professor of Poetry Paula Meehan, prize-winning author Sebastian Barry, rapper God Knows, well-known broadcaster and TV presenter Ryan Tubridy, activist and Drag Queen Panti Bliss and actor and writer Olwen Fouéré.
“Against All Certainty” is available in a number of formats including a beautiful CD Hardback – a 60 page hardback book with essays, poetry, forwards and pictures. A coloured vinyl will also be available. Full tracklist as follows:
Tracklist
The Truth of Poetry
Brothers
Katie’s Song
Dark Memories
My Mother Married my Father in Mount Melleray in 1937
The Death of The Red Cow
Against All Certainty
The Betrayal
The Death of Mary Doyle
Stargazer
FORMATS
CD Hardback – 60 Page Hardback book with essays, poetry, forwards, pictures and 1CD
Standard 1CD in Digipack with Booklet (containing poems)
Vinyl – Coloured 1LP with Poster and Booklet (containing poems)
About Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins was born on 18 April 1941 in Limerick city and grew up in County Clare, where he lived from the age of 5 with his aunt and uncle.
He is renowned as a passionate political voice, a poet and a writer, academic and statesman, human rights advocate, promoter of inclusive citizenship and champion of creativity within Irish society.
On 11 November 2011, Michael D. Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland. On 11 November 2018, he was inaugurated for a second term.
As President, he has had a remarkable connection with the Irish people. In the 2018 election, he secured the largest number of votes in Irish Presidential Election history and topped the poll in every constituency in the country.
Over the course of his 14 years as President, he has led the commemorations to mark the centenary of Ireland’s independence, ensuring recognition for groups such as women and trade unionists excluded from previous narratives, and placed a strong emphasis on the importance of dignity and respect for all, working tirelessly for greater solidary both at home and across the world.
His work in support of global food security, informed by the experience of both the Irish Famine and the suffering which he has seen first-hand across the world, including during the Somalian famine, has been recognised internationally by the United Nations.
Throughout his life, Michael D. Higgins has campaigned for human rights and for the promotion of peace and democracy, from Nicaragua and Chile to Cambodia, Iraq and Somalia. In 1992, he was the first recipient of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize from the International Peace Bureau in Helsinki, in recognition of his work for peace and justice in many parts of the world.
Like many in Ireland, he has seen generations of his family emigrate. He has a strong interest and solidarity with the Irish abroad and has been a regular visitor to Irish Centres in Britain.
Michael D. Higgins previously served at almost every level of public life in Ireland, including as Ireland’s first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997. As Minister, he had direct responsibility for the promotion of the Irish language and for the economic and social development of Irish-speaking areas in the State.
His achievements as Minister included the reinvigoration of the Irish film industry and the establishment of Ireland’s Irish language television broadcaster Teilifís na Gaeilge (now known as TG4). He also established a rich network of local arts and cultural venues which brought a crucial access to citizens across Ireland.
He was a factory worker and an ESB clerk before becoming the first in his family to access higher education. He studied at the University College Galway, the University of Manchester and Indiana University.
As a lecturer in political science and sociology in National University of Ireland, Galway, and in the United States, Michael D. Higgins was a passionate proponent for the extension of access to third level education beyond the walls of established Universities. He was centrally involved in the development of extra-mural studies at National University of Ireland, Galway, and travelled extensively across the West of Ireland to provide accessible evening classes for interested citizens.
He was a regular columnist for the popular ‘Hot Press’ magazine over the period 1982—1992, during which he engaged a young audience in the social issues of the day.
He has to date published four collections of poetry – The Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season; and New and Selected Poems.
He has also published a wide number of books and essays covering diverse aspects of Irish politics, sociology, history and culture.
Michael D. Higgins is married to Sabina Higgins, and they have four children and two grandchildren. Sabina Higgins attended the Dublin Stanislavski Acting Studio and was a founding member of the Focus Theatre.
About Myles O’Reilly
Myles O’Reilly is an Irish musician and filmmaker, born in Dublin, Ireland. O’Reilly has released several ambient albums and has collaborated with many other artists in the Irish music scene, most notably with Rónán Ó Snodaigh (of Kila).
“I like to compare my approach to writing and performing ambient music as creating an incense or perfume, evocative notes as subtle as a smell, and with the same purpose in a space: to invite and amplify a transportative atmosphere and a calming mood” – sculpting ethereal landscapes that echo patterns of nature and moods inspired by relief and escape, ranging from quiet meditative restraint to lush awesome expansiveness.
As a filmmaker, O’Reilly has produced an impressive canon of music videos and music documentaries. He is particularly known for his visually stunning and poetic approach to filmmaking, and his work often explores themes of nature, spirituality, and human connection through music. One of O’Reilly’s most notable film projects was “Arbutus Yarns,” a music documentary archive YouTube Channel & Website that for a decade catalogued a surge in the popularity of folk music from Ireland.