President of Ireland Receives Gold Medal from The Hist

Posted on: 21 November 2013

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins was presented with the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse by The College Historical Society (The Hist) in Trinity College Dublin on Tuesday November 19th last.

The President was honoured by The Hist for his longstanding commitment to the protection of human rights and promotion of the arts, education and the Irish language. He delivered an address entitled The Worthiness of the Arts in the 21st Century.

Auditor of The Hist, Cormac McGuinness,  presents President Higgins with the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse

Founded in 1770 by Edmund Burke, the College Historical Society provides a debating forum that attracts the world’s most prestigious speakers. Nobel laureates, heads of state, intellectuals and political activists come to Ireland each year to address the society’s members, as well as those who have made an outstanding contribution to the arts. Notable past speakers include Shirin Ebadi, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Mary Robinson, Jeffrey Sachs,  Daniel Dennet, F.W. de Klerk and Salman Rushdie