Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/irish-presidents-dog-speech/

There are some moments that get caught on video that we wish had never been recorded – and then there are wholesome moments like the TV interview in which Ireland’s president, Michael D. Higgins.

The president was giving a TV interview with RTÉ when he got upstaged. But the one doing the interrupting happened to be his very own six-month-old Bernese mountain dog, Misneach.

In the video footage, the sweet little pup was playfully chewing and licking Higgins’ hand while he spoke to cameras. It was clear that the dog didn’t like being ignored, and he was making sure that President Higgins knew exactly how he felt.

At the time of the interview, he was paying tribute to the late actor Tom Hickey, who had passed away only the day before. While the pup might have been actively nibbling at his owner’s hand, the Irish president didn’t flinch.

The video was shared on Higgins’ official TikTok account. It was also posted to Twitter by RTÉ journalist Sinéad Crowley, who said, “There was a lot going on in our @rtenews interview yesterday #rtenewsbehindthescenes.”

Needless to say, as soon oriole saw the video clip, the comments began to pour in. One person joked that Misneach was probably searching for a snack, while others commented that it was a very hilarious moment and they enjoyed watching the clip.

But perhaps one of the best comments felt by plenty of people across Ireland was when someone wrote, “We are so lucky to have this man as our President. If a man loves his dogs and they clearly love him that’s enough in my book.”

Regarding the official statement delivered to the news, Higgins called Hickey “one of the greatest actors of his generation” who had left an “indelible imprint on Irish theatre.”

He further added that Hickey worked as a cameraman at RTÉ and trained alongside Deirdre O’Connell at the Stanislavski Studio. He continued to say that Hickey became a founding member of Dublin Focus Theatre, an innovative group, and he was known to be a part of many “ground-breaking” productions, such as Miss Julie, Antigone, Uncle Vanya, and The Night of the Iguana.

Higgins also highlighted that Hickey was an actor that was very involved with the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, and even collaborated with many directors and playwrights like Tom MacIntyre, Patrick Mason, Tom Murphy, Marina Carr, and Garry Hynes.

Higgins said, “Besides starring in Ireland’s major theatres, Tom will also be remembered for his role as Benjy in The Riordans and his other roles in television, in theatres in the UK and in many films, including Breakfast on Pluto, Inside I’m Dancing, Neil Jordan’s The Butcher Boy and Raining Stones. Among his colleagues in the acting community he was regarded as an artist of total commitment to performance, to his art and to his community.”

Higgins added, “He will be so missed. It was a privilege to know him as a friend.”

Watch the video clip below:

There was a lot going on in our @rtenews interview yesterday #rtenewsbehindthescenes @PresidentIRL @PaulDeighano pic.twitter.com/2zaJo3fRiY

— Sinéad Crowley (@SineadCrowley) May 3, 2021

What do you think of Michael D. and his adorable pup? Let us know!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog