President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has wished singer Bob Dylan a happy 80th birthday in an official statement.
Bob Dylan turns 80 years old today and Irish president Michael D Higgins has wished him a happy birthday by releasing a statement.
In the statement, Michael D says, “Dear Bob, a chara,
“As one 80-year-old to another, and as one poet to another, I felt I should share with you my view that the best poem on an 80-year-old is William Wordsworth’s poem ‘Michael’, which deals with the consequences of the enclosures in England in the 18th Century, and their making of a working class of men, women and children for the factory system at the cost of intimate rural life. I feel it’s a beautiful work and would love sometime to talk to you about it.
“In 2016, I said of you: ‘Bob Dylan’s linking of the American folk tradition to the moral, economic and political challenges has been a significant achievement, and the appeal of his music has been inter-generational. His lyrics, with their rhythms, have linked followers of country, jazz and rock to counter-cultural and politically engaged movements. In doing this, he has narrowed the space between the poetic, the musical and the political’.
“My opinion hasn’t changed.”
Message from President Higgins to Bob Dylan, on the occasion of the singer-songwriter's birthday. pic.twitter.com/2c75EU2a77
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) May 24, 2021
Higgins also turned 80 this year and to mark the occasion, Ryan Tubridy was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin for a special Late Late Show interview, during which Higgin was full of praise for his wife, Sabina. TG4 also broadcast a special programme to celebrate the president’s birthday, featuring music, song, dance and poems. Some well-known guests appeared during the special, such as Van Morrison, former president Mary Robinson, and many artists and musicians.
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