Material relating to visits by Mary Robinson abroad in 1996, including to Republic of South Africa (P143/4/5/3/6/1), United States of America including State visit (P143/4/5/3/6/2,3), Federal Republic of Germany (P143/4/5/3/6/3) and United Kingdom (P143/4/5/3/6/5-7).

[Archivist’s Note: President Robinson became the first Irish President to make an official State visit to the United States of America while in office, following a public invite from President Bill Clinton, during one of his own visits to Ireland.

President Seán T. O'Kelly was invited to the United States of America by President Eisenhower in 1959 and addressed the Joint Meeting of Congress, 18/03/1959. President de Valera attended President John F. Kennedy's funeral in 1963, and made an official visit in 1964 during which he also addressed Congress. President Robinson herself met President Clinton on a private visit in 1993, as did her successor President McAleese in 1998.

State visits to the United States are formal visits by the head of state from one country to the United States, during which the president of the United States acts as official host of the visitor. State visits are considered to be the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between the United States and a foreign state and are, in general, characterised by an emphasis on official public ceremonies. State visits can only occur on the invitation of the president of the United States, acting in his capacity as head of the United States. (Official visits, in contrast, can also only occur on the invitation of the president of the United States, though are offered in the president's capacity as chief of the federal government of the United States.)]

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6

Material relating to President Mary Robinson's State visit to the Republic of South Africa, 24-30/03/1996, including official information handbook containing details on delegation, programme, protocols and car plans, business card and letter from Ahmed Kathrada, Parliamentary Counsellor in the Office of the President, and Chairperson, Ex Political Prisoners Committee which was attached to a gift given "to remind you of your memorable visit to Robben Island", 27/03/1996, and background note on the Constitutional Court. Also includes confidential brief which contains information on itinerary, biographical notes, background notes on South Africa, notes on South Africa and Human Rights, constitution and Judiciary, background material on itinerary and on Aid projects, notes on bilateral trade and economic relations, bilateral development co-operation and bilateral cultural relations, notes on EU-South Africa relations, notes on Africa Great Lakes region and notes on Northern Ireland.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/1

Material relating to President Mary Robinson (MR)'s State visit to United States of America, 11-15/06/1996, including official information handbook detailing delegation, programme and protocols, 6 copies of programme hosted by President and Mrs Clinton at the White House, of performance by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Mary Black, 13/06/1996, 4 copies of menu for dinner honouring President and Mr Robinson, at White House, 13/06/1996, with 5th copy signed by Bill Clinton to MR; table placeholder marked "President and Mrs Clinton", official booklet with floor plan for Blair House, The President's Guest House, at which the Robinsons were staying, and official visitor luggage tag for same, and letter of thanks from Joseph and Carol Hassett to Robinsons for including them in the "very special events of [your] memorable State visit to Washington", 19/06/1996. See P143/4/7/7/4

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/2

Material relating to President Mary Robinson's visit to Federal Republic of Germany (FDR), 29/09-02/10/1996, including official information handbook embossed with FDR emblem detailing programme, delegation, order of cars, aircraft seating plan, allocation of rooms and telephone numbers, and official translation of advance text of speech by FDR President, Roman Herzog at dinner in honour of President Robinson, Schloss Belleview, Berlin, 30/09/1996, in commemorative booklet embossed with FDR emblem; (Irish) official information handbook detailing delegation, programme, protocols, contact numbers and room allocations, with visit to Berlin (29-30/09/1996) marked as official, and visit to Frankfurt (01-02/10/1996) marked as normal visit.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/3

Official information handbook for President Mary Robinson's visit to Boston and New York, United States of America, 05-09/10/1996, detailing delegation, programme, protocols, contact numbers and room allocations.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/4

Material relating to potential President Mary Robinson's visit to 6 cities in England scheduled for March 1996 [unclear if this took place], including correspondence between Niall Crowley and Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, on research he carried out for the trip and communication he had with Seán Hutton, chairman of the British Association for Irish Studies, 19-22/02/1996, letter from Ruth Dudley Edwards with photocopies of several of her opinion pieces in newspapers, 06/06/1994-14/02/1996, handwritten paper/article/address "Keeping in with the Joneses", no date.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/5

Material relating to President Mary Robinson's visit to Great Britain, 02-05/12/1996 including official information handbook detailing delegation, programme, protocols, car plans and contact numbers, and confidential brief from Department of Foreign Affairs covering notes on political developments in Northern Ireland, prisoners in Britain, Emergency legislation, Welfare of Irish Community in Britain, cultural relations with Britain, Ireland's Presidency priorities [of the European Union, July-December 1996], bilateral economic relations with Britain, biographies and other background material.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/6/7

Material relating to visits by Mary Robinson abroad in 1997, including to United Kingdom (P143/4/5/3/7/2), Malta (P143/4/5/3/7/3), Republic of Rwanda (P143/4/5/3/7/4), Italy and the holy See (P143/4/5/3/7/5) and Sweden (P143/4/5/3/7/6).

Ref: P143/4/5/3/7

Memo from Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, listing overseas visits from October 1996-October 1997 as of 21 October 1996.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/7/1

Official information handbook for President Mary Robinson's visit to Wales and England, 01-04/02/1997, detailing delegation, programme, protocols, car plan, contact numbers and room allocations.

Ref: P143/4/5/3/7/2