Letters from VIPs to President Mary Robinson (MR) during and related to her presidency and arranged chronologically by year. Also includes a folder of responses to letter sent by MR to over 80 Heads of State calling for assistance for Rwanda following genocide against minority Tutsi population in 1994 (P143/6/3/7).

Ref: P143/4/6/3

Various Bills presented to President Mary Robinson (MR) for signature with some additional related material including Referendum (Amendment) Bill, 1992, with cover note from Peter Ryan (PR), Secretary to the President, attaching a fax from Senator Brendan Ryan, suggesting that Section 2 may be in breach of the Constitution, 15-18/05/1992; Eleventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1992 [permitted the State to ratify the Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty], 15/05/1992, and photocopy of translated Bill ratifying the Treaty, November 1992; Local Government (Planning and Development) Bill, 1993, with cover letter from PR enclosing submission from Ms Geraldine O'Brien, Cork Environmental Alliance, 02/04-10/07/1992; Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill, 1992, with letter from Mr David Munro suggesting MR refer it to Supreme Court, 15-20/07/1992; Presidential Elections Bill, 1993, 18-22/11/1993; photocopy of proclamation by MR fixing 17 Feb 1993 for first meeting of Seanad Éireann [Irish Senate] following General Election, 10-11/02/1993; photocopy of translation of nomination by MR of Gearóid Ó Cléirigh as Plenipotentiary, giving him "Full Powers and Authority" to sign the Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgements in Civil and Commercial Matters, July 1993; photocopy of draft translation of ratification of Act amending the Protocol on the statute of the European Investment Bank empowering the Board of Governors to establish the European Investment Fund, 1993; copy of nomination by MR of Albert Reynolds, Taoiseach, Dick Spring, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Pádraic McKernan, Permanent Representative of Ireland at the European Union as Plenipotentiaries in relation to Treaty concerning accession of Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Austria, Republic of Finland and Kingdom of Sweden to European Union, June 1994, and copy of ratification, November 1994; photocopy of draft acceptance by MR of retirement of Pádraig L Mac Domhnaill (Patrick L McDonnell, Comptroller and Auditor General), July 1994; material relating to Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State for Termination of Pregnancies), Bill, 1995, including photocopy of Supreme Court decision Bill was not repugnant to the Constitution, with cover letter from by Liam Hamilton, Chief Justice, and photocopy of MR's declaration she had signed Bill following their decision, 12/05/1995.

Ref: P143/4/14/6

Correspondence between Kay Gleeson, former Personnel Office while Mary Robison (MR) was President, and MR referring to the transfer of gift items received by MR while president to the Department of the Taoiseach and enclosing copy of the memorandum submitted by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to the Government at meeting on 23 July 1999, 26/07-19/08/1999.

Ref: P143/4/13/10

Bound typed official Supreme Court decision, signed by Liam Hamilton, Chief Justice, "The Supreme Court 118/97 In the Matter of Article 26 of the Constitution of Ireland And In the Matter of The Employment Equality Bill, 1996", referred by President Mary Robinson to Supreme Court on 03 April 1997, and heard in oral hearing before the Court over six days between 29th April and 7th May 1997.

Ref: P143/4/14/7

Bound typed official Supreme Court decision, signed by Liam Hamilton, Chief Justice, 19/06/1997, "The Supreme Court 156/97 In the Matter of Article 26 of the Constitution of Ireland And In the Matter of the Equal Status Bill, 1997", referred by President Mary Robinson to Supreme Court on 07 May 1997, and heard in oral hearing before the Court over six days between 10th and 11th May 199[7].

Ref: P143/4/14/8

Paper by Valerie Bresnihan, Lecturer, Equality Studies Centre, University College, Dublin: "The Symbolic Power of Ireland's President Robinson"; published in Presidential Studies Quarterly [scholarly journal that focuses on the President of the United States] [June 1999?].

Ref: P143/4/15/7

Photocopy of letter from Frank Murray, Secretary to the Government, to Colm Butler, Deputy Secretary to the President in relation to and including a chapter from Peter Drucker's book "Managing in a Time of Great Change", on "Six Rules for Presidents", 02/11/1995.

Ref: P143/4/15/6

Material relating to an invite from The Ford Foundation to President Mary Robinson 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. It includes two copies of official Legal Opinion (Querist: "The President of Ireland Mrs Mary Robinson, Subject: "The function and role of the President under the provisions of the Constitution", signed by Mr Frank Clarke, SC [Senior Counsel], and Mr Gerry Durcan, Barrister at Law, 17/01/1994; two copies of Supplementary Legal Opinion (subject: The validity of a decision of the Government that the President should not accept an invitation to serve as co-chair of an Independent Working Group on the Future of the United Nations", signed by Clarke and Durcan, 17/01/1994; drafts of opinions with notation; correspondence between Peter Ryan (PR), Secretary to the President and Frank Murray (FM), Secretary to the Government in relation to the Legal Opinion of 17th January and requesting final decision on invite, 17-20/01/1994; correspondence between Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dick Spring, and MR including drafts, in relation to Government's decision not to allow MR accept invitation, 20/01/1994; briefing note with notations for meeting with Taoiseach, 21/01/1994; photocopies of correspondence between PR and FM in relation to and including transcripts of comments and questions in the Dáil on the controversy, and photocopies of articles in the press, 17-24/02/1994.

Ref: P143/4/15/5

Material relating to an invite from The Ford Foundation to President Mary Robinson (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. It includes photocopy of the invite from the Ford Foundation, 17/11/1993; photocopy of letter from MR to Taoiseach Charles Haughey, 24/07/1991, in which she refers to the legal opinion received by Government previously which she felt focussed too narrowly on certain subsections of the Constitution relating to the Office of the President, and which includes the opinion of the Attorney General on "the Constitutional Freedom of the President of Ireland", 31/05/1991; briefing material ahead of meeting between MR and Taoiseach to discuss the invite, 13/12/1993; correspondence between MR, Peter Ryan (PR), Secretary to the Government, Frank Murray, Secretary to the Government, and Brian McCarthy, Assistant Secretary to the Government in relation to Government's decision not to allow MR accept invite, as well as to source of leaks of the discussions to the Press, and MR's intention to seek legal advice independently on role of President, 13-30/12/1993; correspondence between PR and MR on seeking further legal opinion, and draft documents prepared for "Request for Advice", 21-[23?]/12/1993; copy of letters sent by PR to Mr Frank Clarke, SC [Senior Counsel], and Mr Gerry Durcan, Barrister at Law in relation to request for advice sought, 30/12/1993; photocopies of articles in The Irish Times and The Irish Independent on Government's refusal to allow MR accept invitation, 12/1993.

Ref: P143/4/15/4

Photocopy of faxed partial transcript of Dáil Éireann [lower House of Irish Parliament] debate [parliamentary questions] where An Taoiseach [Albert Reynolds] was asked about the powers of the President and the requirement for her to get cabinet approval even to go on private holiday abroad, 19/02/1992; photocopy of chapter eight of unidentified book on the X Case [a constitutional case on whether a 14-year-old girl who had become pregnant as a result of rape could access abortion in the United Kingdom (see P143/4/6/1/3/1 and P143/4/6/4/3)], which examined specifically the role of Mary Robinson in the case, opining that she was in breach of the constitution when she spoke which may have affected the outcome.

Ref: P143/4/15/3