Those of you who aren’t Irish, but know people who are, are probably wondering what the hell the big fuss is about. Michael D Higgins? Who’s that? A few pictures of some short old guy with faintly ridiculous hair* later, you’re none the wiser.

So I’m gonna do you a public service. I’m going to let the man who we’ve just elected President of Ireland speak for himself. Let you get to know the man who’ll be shaking hands with your heads of state for the next seven years.

And maybe then you’ll understand why we freakin’ love this guy. Here’s the long version– it’s so, so worth it though. Scroll down for the shorter bit!

Let’s start with something you’ll all understand. Here’s Michael D on the Tea Party. This one is NSFW, and not just for mentions of the T*a P***y.

Refreshing, eh? But it’s not hard to be against the T*a P***y ’round these parts. Let’s see him take on something a little more meaty, shall we? How about civil unions, marriage equality, and real threats to the family for a starter. Here he is back in 2006:

That was some good straight talkin’ there. Want some more? How about we pop forward a year to 2007. Let’s see what he had to say about corporate responsibility and access to resources, a year before the bubble burst.

Here’s Michael D on education:

And here he is on healthcare and his local hospital:

I could go on. Oh, how I could go on. But I don’t want to spam you with videos. And I think you may have a little taste of the awesome that is Michael D by now.

I absolutely cannot let you go without a bit of the Saw Doctors. Go on, give it a click. You know you want to.

Was that a bit Tl;dr? Give this a go instead.

Congratulations, President Higgins. I am proud beyond belief to have you representing me and my country for the next seven years. I hope we are all inspired by your optimism and radical inclusivity to create a society we can all feel a part of.

(Also, thank you for showing us that there are is, in fact, jobs out there for sociologists.)

*he used to be a ginger, you know.