Michael Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins born 18 April 1941 in Limerick. He was educated at Ballycar National School, County Clare; St. Flannan\'s College, Ennis; University College Galway (UCG); Indiana University; and Manchester University. In his academic career, he was a Statutory Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at University College Galway and was a Visiting Professor at Southern Illinois University. He resigned his academic posts to concentrate fully on his political career. Higgins was inaugurated as President of Ireland at Dublin Castle on 11 November 2011. Higgins receives an annual salary of €250,000. After assuming office, the President wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to request that his salary be reduced by 23.5 percent from €325,000 to about €250,000. In January 2012, President Higgins agreed to become the Patron of Clans of Ireland, including its Order of Merit. On the President\'s behalf, Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, awarded \"Companionship\" in this Order of Clans of Ireland to several nominees at a ceremony in the Mansion House, Dublin on 28 April 2012. In June 2012, nonprofit housing organisation Habitat for Humanity Ireland announced that President Higgins would be their sole Patron.
