Noting the limited academic or public interest in the married partners of Irish presidents, Bernadette Whelan sets out to remedy the omission by this detailed study of the experiences of Sinéad de Valera, Maud Griffith, Louisa Cosgrave, Lucy Hyde, Phyllis Ó Ceallaigh, Rita Childers, Máirín Uí Dhálaigh, Maeve Hillery, Nick Robinson and Martin McAleese. Beginning with the viceregal period and ending with the partners of two female presidents, this volume explores the public and personal realities of life in the shadow of Ireland’s symbolic first citizen.
The introductory chapter looks to other countries for examples of the appropriate official nomenclature for such a role, which for much of this period lacked a formal definition in Irish politics. The personal and public lives of these individuals were thus beset with ambiguities, restrictions and frustrations. How they met the challenges of public expectations, the limitations of protocol and their own personal ambitions and aspirations in this context provides an interesting and informative narrative. The second chapter deals with the family and background of the first two generations taking up this role, the next with the private and public lives of viceregal and presidential wives between 1919 and 1937. Chapters four and five respectively explore the latters’ private and public lives from 1938 to 1990. First gentlemen are the focus of the sixth chapter, with ‘Life after presidency’ preceding the conclusion. While the book’s structure reflects the ‘more complex and nuanced account’ (16) of the author’s intent, it does require concentration on the part of the reader used to a more straightforward chronological approach.
The only precedents available to the first Irish presidential spouses were those set by the wives of viceroys and lord lieutenants, and they largely followed their example — acting as hostesses, social organisers and engaging in charitable work. The very limited media interest was confined to commentary on dress and reflected the traditional view of women as wives and mothers, dependent on a male breadwinner and of little interest in their own right.
A recurring theme, particularly in the early period, was the president’s accommodation. Áras, the former Viceregal Lodge in the Phoenix Park, combined the functions of officialdom and private family home, and its inadequacies in the latter were a constant source of complaint. The presence of civil servants and security personnel infringed on the daily life of the family, while its isolated location impacted on social engagements. Refurbishment or renovation of the outdated and inappropriate living quarters was dependent on a frequently indifferent or reluctant taoiseach. Phyllis Ó Ceallaigh recalled her time there (1945–59) as ‘the most awful part of her public life’ (165), with the young Nessa Childers describing her situation as like living in a ‘hotel with built-in difficulties’ (126). The situation improved only gradually, with better staffing arrangements, and improvements to the house and grounds requiring frequent negotiation.
The earliest Irish women to take up this unelected and unpaid position, to a large extent, ‘married a cause’ (34). During the rising, the civil war and the Treaty debates, they had shared their husband’s vision of a united, Irish-speaking, Catholic nation and had participated in the struggle to attain this goal. In their new role, they continued to promote this agenda, maintaining their activities in Irish cultural associations, with Sinéad de Valera’s tireless campaign for the Irish language particularly evident through publications and lectures. Rita Childers’s concern for heritage, the environment and social justice further demonstrated the potential of her position for public service. By the time of the Hillerys’ appointment, the changing nature of Irish society could be seen in the concern of the president’s wife, not only with women’s issues, but in the long list of public engagements which ensured that modern problems such as Aids and drug addiction were brought to public attention.
As they expanded their domestic role during their tenure in presidential quarters, the function of both president and first lady was also impacted by Ireland’s quest for international recognition. Representing the nation abroad and the hosting of foreign dignitaries brought new responsibilities and greater public interest, while recognition of the importance of foreign diplomacy resulted in greater investment in the office, which increasingly required both support and control from the centre. Maeve Hillery’s solo official visits to America and France demonstrated the extent to which first ladies had become more than an appendage to their husbands, enabling the exercise of a limited and cautious personal agency.
The innovation of female presidents between 1990 and 2011 highlighted both continuity and change in traditional gender boundaries. The husbands of Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese provided essential support for their spouses and further advanced their own role, while enjoying a greater degree of personal autonomy than their female predecessors. The part played by gender as Ireland slowly moved from traditional, religious conservatism to acknowledge and embrace the complexities of modernity provides a significant background to the narrative.
This volume’s greatest strength is in its depiction of the formation and evolution of an independent Irish government and administration. The author’s meticulous research is reflected in the wide range of sources and comprehensive footnotes in a volume that provides important additional insights into the history of Ireland’s emergence as an independent nation.
