The Irish Presidency

Some statistics about the highest office in the land.

First things first for my overseas subscribers, the Irish Presidency is a job with no significant powers. It does have plenty of symbolic heft, kind of like being the Queen of England, but without the miscreant family affairs being played out in public.

Since its establishment in 1938, the office of the President of Ireland has seen nine individuals serve as head of state, reflecting the nation's evolving political and social landscape. The history of the presidency reveals a fascinating story, from the dominance of one political party in the early years to the rise of Labour and female candidates who have reshaped the role.

The office of President was created under the 1937 Constitution of Ireland Act. Over the decades, the office has gone from political consolation prize to national mood ring, reflecting Ireland’s slow crawl from post-revolutionary suffocating conservatism.

The first lucky incumbent was Douglas Hyde, a Gaelic scholar and a Protestant, because nothing says “We’re over the whole sectarian bitterness thing” like making a non-Catholic your figurehead. From there, the presidency became a revolving door of Fianna Fáil stalwarts and eventually, a woman—Mary Robinson—who showed up in 1990 and proved that the Irish presidency could be more than just a retirement home for Fianna Fáil hacks.

Some numbers

Number of Presidents: There have been a total of nine presidents since the office was established.

Political Affiliation: Fianna Fáil has been the dominant political party, with six of the nine presidents being nominated by the party for their first term. Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was technically an all-party candidate but was a card-carrying member of Fianna Fáil. Mary Robinson and Michael D. Higgins were nominated by the Labour Party.

Terms in Office: A presidential term lasts for seven years, and a president can serve a maximum of two terms. Or 14 years in prison as on political wit observed.

• Five presidents have served the maximum two terms: Seán T. O'Kelly, Éamon de Valera, Patrick Hillery, Mary McAleese, and Michael D. Higgins.

• Four presidents have served a single term, with two of those, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh and Mary Robinson, resigning before the completion of their term.

Mary Robinson resigned because she got a better job at the United Nations, and Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh resigned because he was called a thundering disgrace by Minister for Defence, Paddy Donegan. The “thundering disgrace” incident is a historical minefield and is deserving of an article in itself, which I will come back to in a series of posts on the Irish presidency.

Contested vs. Uncontested Elections: Of the 15 presidential elections that could have been held since 1938, six have been uncontested.

Seán T. O'Kelly (1952), Patrick Hillery (1976 and 1983), and Mary McAleese (2004) were all re-elected for their second terms without a contest. Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was also elected unopposed in 1974 following the death of President Erskine Childers.

Age at Inauguration: The average age of a president at their first inauguration is approximately 62 years old. The youngest president to take office was Mary Robinson at the age of 46, Mary McAleese was also 46, while the oldest was Douglas Hyde at 78.

Female Presidents: Ireland has elected two female presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. Their successive presidencies from 1990 to 2011 marked a significant period of social change and modernisation not just for the office but for the nation.

Irish voters have also been asked to vote on proposed changes to the office of the President. In 2015, the Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Age of Eligibility for Election to the Office of President) Bill 2015 proposed to lower the minimum age of candidacy from 35 to 21. However, this proposal was rejected by the electorate, with 73.1% voting against the change. This probably indicates a public desire to maintain some decorum for the so-called highest office in the land.

A total of five women named Mary have been candidates for the Irish presidency.

The candidates were:

• Mary Robinson: The first woman to be elected President of Ireland, she was a candidate in the 1990 election.

• Mary McAleese: The second woman to hold the office, she was a candidate in the 1997 and 2004 elections.

• Mary Banotti: A Fine Gael Member of the European Parliament, she ran for president in the 1997 election.

• Mary Davis: A charity activist and fundraiser, she was a candidate in the 2011 presidential election.

• Dana Rosemary Scallon (born Mary Brown): The Eurovision winner and former Member of the European Parliament, commonly known as Dana, was a candidate in the 1997 and 2011 elections.

The 1997 election was famous for having three candidates named Mary on the ballot paper: Mary McAleese, Mary Banotti, and Dana Rosemary Scallon. Also known as the Hail Mary election.

There have been 6 candidates from Northern Ireland.

• Mary McAleese - Antrim

• Martin McGuinness - Derry

• Austin Curry - Tyrone

• Peter Casey - Derry

• Dana - Derry

• Patrick McCartan - Tyrone

Of the nine souls who’ve held the title of Uachtarán na hÉireann, only one had the poor manners to die on the job—Erskine Hamilton Childers. Childers, the fourth President of Ireland, passed away suddenly from a heart attack on November 17, 1974. He had been in office for just under a year and a half, having been inaugurated on June 25, 1973.

Perks of the job

Apart from the fancy title of Uachtarán na hÉireann, what are the perks says you?

The official salary for the President of Ireland is €249,014. A job where you get paid a small fortune to smile at schoolchildren, shake hands, hold garden parties and give vague speeches about hope and the like. The current President, Michael D. Higgins, Marxist poet-king (yes, he’s a poet), has voluntarily taken a lower salary than he is entitled to. The Presidential Establishment Act 1938 allows for a higher figure, but President Higgins requested a 23.5% reduction upon taking office in 2011, a decision he has maintained throughout his tenure. Because nothing undermines capitalism quite like a head of state voluntarily earning less than a mid-tier banking executive.

In addition to the salary, there is an annual allowance of €317,000 to cover presidential expenses. This is not a personal payment to the President but is used to fund the costs associated with the Office of the President. Essentially, to have civic society groups over for a cup of tea or a pint of Guinness.

Staff and Support

The President is supported by a dedicated team to assist with their constitutional and ceremonial duties. This includes:

• Aides-de-Camp: Officers from the Defence Forces who assist the President with daily duties, accompany them on official engagements, and represent the President at state functions.

• Secretariat: A team of civil servants who manage the official business of the President's office.

• Household Staff: A domestic team responsible for the catering and upkeep of Áras an Uachtaráin.

The costs for these staff members are covered by the state.

For official duties, the President is provided with state transportation. The most notable of these is the Presidential State Car, a 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, which is primarily used for ceremonial occasions such as the presidential inauguration. For day-to-day transport, the President uses a fleet of official cars, maintained and driven by members of the Gardaí (Irish police).

The House

The most significant perk of the office is the official residence, Áras an Uachtaráin. Located in the Phoenix Park in 1,752 acres near Dublin City, this historic building, built in 1751, is the President's home and principal workplace. The state covers all costs associated with the upkeep, maintenance, and staffing of the residence. This includes a team of civil servants, household staff, and support from various government departments and state agencies such as the Office of Public Works. It’s not just a home—it’s a state-subsidised lifestyle upgrade, proof that even in a republic, some animals are more equal than others.

How do you become President of Ireland?

To get on the ballot, you’ll need the support of either:

• 20 members of the Oireachtas (that’s the Dáil and Seanad combined, Parliament and Senate) or

• Four local authorities (county or city councils), and there are 31 in total.

• Yourself, but only if you’re a former or retiring president.

This is the first in a series of posts on the Irish Presidency, which must take place by Tuesday, 11 November 2025.

The most significant statistic about the Irish Presidency is that it causes an awful lot of collateral damage to senior figures in Irish politics for a job that’s essentially powerless. But that’s another article. Subscribe below.