Standing outside the brick cottages that line the liberties’ John Dillon Street, Megan Wright reads a letter aloud.
“Thank you for your recent card to President Higgins regarding the passing of Síoda,” the Donegal artist says.
“the President has asked me to let you know that he and Sabina were very grateful for your really stunning postcard.”
The 2020 letter from Arás an Uachtaráin concludes: “The President sends his best wishes to you and your family and hopes you all keep well during this time of national solidarity.”
The postcard referenced is an original design by Wright, featuring Michael D Higgins and two of his beloved bernese mountain dogs.
The design is among her brand’s (Design Wright) bestselling: Miggeldy and the Gang.
The image has been plastered on tote bags, postcards, stickers and earrings, a pair of which wright was wearing.
“His dogs are just so iconic, and also himself you know.”
Wright describes herself as being “really sad” at the death of Bernese Síoda that September.
“I think at this time [during Covid] we had all been online a lot,and everyone was collectively grieving Síoda.”
Wright was not the only individual saddened by Síoda’s passing, with her designs of Miggeldy and the gang quickly becoming best sellers.
There has been a recent revival of interest in them. “It’s coming to the end of his term,and I think we are all feeling a little bit nostalgic about it.”
What will Wright miss most about the president?
“I know for myself I really like that he’s an artist. That he’s a poet and he has a lot of time for the arts.
“I don’t think that he’s just this kind of cute, cuddly character. I think he speaks very well and he speaks his mind really well, which I admire. He’s a gentleman. I think we will all miss him when he’s gone.”
Irish Dogs Charm at Crufts and a President’s Cosy Companion
“Our club is so proud of him for having put these dogs out there on a worldwide stage, meeting dignitaries with him and showcasing their temperament and what wonderful dogs they are.”
Almost as soft and fluffy as Misneach is the Michael Tea Higgins tea cosy.
Susan Banks, the Tallaght woman behind it, was selling her crocheted creations at craft fairs in 2016 when she saw a Michael D Higgins tea cosy on Gogglebox.
She decided to give it a go.
2025/11/09 12:21:41