The President of Ireland has been well and truly upstaged by his pet dog, who was seen trying to get his master's attention during a TV interview at the weekend. Watch below:
Irish President Michael D. Higgins spoke to RTÉ on Sunday to pay tribute to actor Tom Hickey, whose death was announced the previous day.
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But a behind-the-scenes video from the interview showed that, just out of shot, his six-month-old Bernese mountain dog Misneach was playfully chewing at and licking Higgins' hand while he spoke - clearly unimpressed at being forgotten for a moment.
Amazingly, Higgins didn't even flinch as his four-legged friend pawed at him repeatedly, suggesting he's perhaps used to Misneach's attention-seeking ways.
The video was posted on Higgins' official TikTok account, before also being shared on Twitter by RTÉ journalist Sinéad Crowley, who wrote: "There was a lot going on in our @rtenews interview yesterday #rtenewsbehindthescenes."
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Her tweet has since racked up thousands of likes and retweets, with many social media users commenting to say both Higgins and his dog are 'fabulous'.
One person wrote: "I love this so much. It has made my day."
Another said: "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."
A third person said Higgins 'sets the bar for class acts', while another joked: "He knows where the treats are."
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In a statement, Higgins said Hickey was 'one of the greatest actors of his generation', and that he would be leaving an 'indelible imprint on Irish theatre'.
He said: "Having trained with Deirdre O'Connell at the Stanislavski Studio while working as a cameraman at RTÉ, Tom Hickey became one of the founding members of the innovative Dublin Focus Theatre, playing in a number of ground-breaking productions, including Miss Julie, Antigone, Uncle Vanya and The Night of the Iguana.
"He made memorable contributions as an actor to productions in the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, working in collaborations of original work with directors and playwrights including Tom MacIntyre, Patrick Mason, Tom Murphy, Marina Carr and Garry Hynes.
"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.
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"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.
"He will be so missed. It was a privilege to know him as a friend."
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@presidentirlTopics: Viral, Ireland, News, Funny, Animals, Dogs