The Presidents Letters

The Presidents’ Letters brings together over 400 letters, memos, cards, telegrams, drawings, notes, and photographs to reveal a personal and unexpected story of Ireland since the inauguration of our first president, Douglas Hyde.

Many of these documents have never been published before, and some have never been seen by the public. They include letters of congratulations, resignation, and sympathy; a handwritten note from a president to a queen; a message sent to the moon; and a heartfelt farewell from a poet. There are letters of joy and sorrow, pleas and threats, sent from palaces, parliaments, prisons, war zones, refugee camps, and homeless shelters. Meticulously researched and carefully selected, these correspondences bring to life our presidents, Áras an Uachtaráin, and all who have passed through its doors.

The Presidents’ Letters examines how each president shaped their era and strengthened Ireland’s connection with all who identify as Irish.

The book is organized thematically rather than by individual presidencies, with one-page introductory notes providing context for the correspondence in each section.