Material relating to the role of the President of Ireland, how it was traditionally perceived, and how Mary Robinson sought to use her experience as a constitutional lawyer to widen the scope of the presidency and test the limits of powers as per Irish constitution. It includes material relating to the resignation from office of former President of Ireland Cearbhaill Ó Dálaigh (P143/4/15/1), briefing documentation sent to MR when she was announced as the winner of the Presidential election (P143/4/15/2) and material relating to an invite from The Ford Foundation to MR to serve as co-chair of an Independent Working Group on the Future of the United Nations, the Irish Government's refusal based on legal advice from the Attorney General, and subsequent correspondence relating to MR seeking out independent legal advice (P143/4/15/4,5).

Ref: P143/4/15

Folder labelled "Responses to Rwandan letter", consists of photocopies of responses from Heads of State to Mary Robinson (MR)'s letter on situation in Rwanda (not included) and translations of same, including from Their Excellencies Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary General to the United Nations (06/01/1995), Carl Gustaf, King of Sweden (17/01/1995), Thomas Klestil, President of Austria (18/01/1995), Catherine A Tizard, Governor General, New Zealand (31/1/1995), Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom (02/02/1995), Roman Herzog, President of Germany (03/02/1995), Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein (31/01-08/02/1995), Albert II, King of the Belgians (10/02/1995), Mário Suares, President of the Portuguese Republic (08-13/02/1995), Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (13/02/1995), Lech Wałęsa, President of the Republic of Poland (14/02/1995), Dr U Mifsud Bonnici, President of Malta (14-21/02/1995), Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (22/02/1995), Mr A Brazauskas, President of the Republic of Lithuania (20/02-06/03/1995), Holy Father, Pope John Paul II (16-28/02/1995), Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (01/03/1995), Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, President of the Italian Republic (16/02-06/03/1995), Ezer Weizman, President of State of Israel (21/02-07/03/1995), Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, President of Mexico, 26/01-10/03/1995), Michal Kováč, President of the Slovak Republic (16/03/1995), Prince Rainer of Monaco (03-20/03/1995), Árpád Göncz, President of the Republic of Hungary (22-30/03/1995), Mr Konstantinos Karamanlis, President of the Hellenic Republic (31/01-05/04/1995), Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan (15/04/1995), François Mitterrand, President of the Republic of France (03-21/04/1995), William J Clinton, President of the United States of America (26/04-04/05/1995), Glafcos Clerides, President of the Republic of Cyprus (15/05/1995), Mr Elias Hraoui, President of the Republic of Lebanon (09/03-24/05/1995), Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi (29/06/1995) and Mr Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran (20-23/10/1995) following a later letter from MR.

Also includes memo from Peter Ryan, Secretary to the President, with advice on who to address letters to, and enclosing list of United Nations members, 02-05/12/1994 and transcript of courtesy call by Dr Joseph Karemera, Rwandan Minister for Health, and copy of letter he presented MR from President Bizimungu, (27/01-08/02/1995).

Ref: P143/4/6/3/7

Photocopy of unsigned declaration of President Mary Robinson (MR)'s resignation from Office of President of Ireland, effective 12th September 1997, cover memo from Peter Ryan, Secretary to President, giving background on her predecessor President Ó Dálaigh's resignation in 1976, and sharing his thoughts on number of instruments to be signed, 20/08/1997, with draft copy and draft cover letter, both with notation which, once finalised, were to be sent to Taoiseach, Chief Justice, Chairman of Seanad [Seanad Éireann, Irish Senate] and Chairman of Dáil [Dáil Éireann, lower House of Irish parliament].

Ref: P143/4/14/10

Greenway Women's Group and Cregagh Writing Group joint calendar project 1995; report "Giving Voices", on work of the Cultural Traditions Group, a sub-committee of the Community Relations Council, 1990-1994; information on Star Neighbourhood Centre, Belfast, 1995; information pack (x4) on "Quilt for Beijing (North and South of Ireland)" a cross-border project to create a quilt for exhibition at 4th United Nations World Conference on Women, 1995, giving information on each panel of the quilt and who/what it represented; submission to Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, by Bernardos, Northern Ireland, January 1995; Northern Ireland Community Relations Council magazine, Jan and Oct 1995; West Belfast Economic Forum Annual Report, March 1994- February 1995 and Economic Bulletin, July 1995; New Dialogue bulletin, 24 April 1995; circular from Peter Cadogan, Secretary, NI Project, The Gandhi Foundation, on NI Ulster Intodafa, 07/07/1995; Greater New Lodge Community Festival (Féile Phobail An Lóiste Úir), annual report 1995; "Community Care Assessment & Care Plans: 'Rights in Community Care Group'" seminar report, 09/12/1995, RICC [The Rights in Community Care Group], sponsored by Unison [Trade Union], Northern Ireland.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/9

Paper "Equalizing Advantages, Lessening Discrimination: Reviewing Northern Ireland's Fair Employment Laws", Vincent McCormack, Department of Psychology, University of Ulster and Inez McCormack, Unison [Trade Union], 1994; Springhill Springmadden Residents Association Community Park Project (Belfast) report 1994; Féile an Phobail Development Plan, West Belfast, March 94; West Belfast Economic Forum Annual Report Feb 93-Feb 94; Report by European Parliament Committee on Social Affairs, Employment and the Working Environment on discrimination in the field of employment in Northern Ireland (Rapporteur: Mr Jaak Vandemeulebroucke), 18 March 1994; West Belfast Economic Forum bulletin, March and July 1994; University of Ulster booklet Diamond Poets collection: "Suffer Little Children", Joan Newman, with inscription for President Mary Robinson, cover letter from Newmann, and response from Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, 22-25/05/1994; pamphlet, newsletter and compliment slip from Down County Museum, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, summer 1994; Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre Annual Report, 1993/94; Enniskillen Castle newsletter and pamphlet, with compliment slip from Emma MacNeice, Development Officer, Fermanagh District Council, and response from Peter Ryan, Secretary to the President, 26/07-03/08/1994; Northern Ireland Community Relations Council magazine, September 1994; Down and Connor Youth Council Director's Report 09/1992 - 09/1994.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/8

Northern Ireland Community Relations Council Third Report 1993; material relating to the presentation of Ireland's 1st CPR report [Civil and Political Rights] to the Human Rights Committee, including introductory remarks by the Attorney General of Ireland Mr Harold A Whelehan, SC, comments by the committee, response by Whelehan, and cover note from Donal Denham, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, 12/07-05/08/1993; report "Piecing it Together" - conclusions of the Peace '93 policy development group, 07/10/1993; material from Northern Ireland Office Press Office, consisting of documents exchanged between Government of the United Kingdom and IRA [Irish Republican Army] Leadership from 22 February 1993 to 5 November 1993, presented to House of Commons library by Sir Patrick Mayhew, Secretary Of State for Northern Ireland, 29/11/1993; report: "The Common Task - Part 1: Community Development", Robert Common Nov 1993, with cover letter to President Mary Robinson (MR) from Common, 08/12/1993; proceedings of a study day, 23/10/1993, in Clonliffe College: "Women in Church of Ireland", The Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, Dec 1993; photocopy of fax from Protocol Section, Department of the Taoiseach, consisting of text of joint declaration between Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, TD and Prime Minister John Major, in relation to Northern Ireland, 15/12/1993; paper by Dr Brendan O'Leary, Reader in Political Science, London School of Economics "Parsing the Paragraphs", which examined the Second Downing Street Declaration, sent by fax to Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, 20/12/1993; commemorative booklet on life and work of Eileen Howell, a community activist based in West Belfast, which includes a section on MR's visit to West Belfast in 1993, and cover letter from Ted Howell to MR, 11/08/2010.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/7

Report "The States We are In - Civil Rights in Ireland North and South" proceedings of conference of Irish Council for Civil Liberties 1993; "Opportunities for Increasing Mutual Understanding", statement made to Committee D of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, by The Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights, January 1993; material relating to Fr Denis Faul including publications: "British Army and Special Branch RUC Brutalities, December 1971-February 1972", "The Sacredness of Human Life: An Invitation to Debate", "Moment of Truth for Northern Ireland", "The Alienation of Northern Ireland Catholics", "British Justice is Flawed", "The Stripping of the Women Prisoners in Armagh Prison 1982-1983", Easter 1983 and photocopy of article on Faul by Barry white, 1993; photocopy of text of speech to The Institute of Directors, by Raymond GH Seitz, US Ambassador to the Court of St James, Belfast, 19/02/1993; typed extract of speech by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [Sir Patrick Mayhew] to Institution of Structural Engineers, 02/03/1993; official text of address by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dick Spring, to The Irish Association at the Mansion House, Dublin, 05/3/1993; Spring 1993 edition of "The Dissenter", Journal of the New Ireland Group; Youth Link Report 1991-93; Newhill Youth and Community Centre Association annual report 1992/1993 and minutes of 1992 AGM.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/6

Material sent to President Mary Robinson (MR) from Maureen Delaney and Charles Miller, Conflict Resolution Network, Carrigaline, Co. Cork including booklet "Employment as though People Mattered - changing work patterns in a just and sustainable society", Keith Suter, the Tasmanian Peace Trust 1991 Lecture, with response from Ann Lane, Personal Assistant to the President, 16-17/09/1992; material sent to Bride Rosney, Special Adviser to the President, for MR's attention, by Andy Pollak, head of secretariat, Initiative 1992, with pamphlets and brochures, 22/10/1992; "A New North for a New Ireland", submission on behalf of the New Ireland Group to the Initiative 92, November 1992, with cover letter from John Robb, and booklet "Northern Limits - Boundaries of the attainable in Northern Ireland Politics", The Cadogan Group, November 1992; British-Irish Exchange and Education Trust Profile, 1992; "Undermining Peace" report on Official Church Responses to Citizens in Crisis, Belfast 1992.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/5

Information folder on Foyle Carers Association, Derry City [also known as Londonderry], County Derry, Northern Ireland with flyers and brochures, 1992; "Grant-aided or taken for granted", study of women's voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland, Ruth Taillon, for Women's Support Network, February 1992; "The Equal Citizen", Campaign For Equal Citizenship for Northern Ireland publication, March 1992; "Obair [Irish for "Work"] - The Campaign for Employment in West Belfast" briefing paper, March 1992.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/4

British Irish Exchange Research and Feasibility Study, (01/01-30/09/1990) final report, January 1991; "Unheard Voices - Women's Needs in Ardoyne" report by the Ardoyne Women's Research Project 199[1?]; Women's Centre Annual General Report 1991, Derry, which references visit to Áras an Uachtarán in July 1991.

Ref: P143/4/16/1/3