The Presidents’ Letters features letters of congratulations, of resignation, of sympathy, a handwritten note from a president to a queen, a message to the moon, a fond farewell from a poet. In this illustrated talk, Flor concentrates on two ground-breaking women presidents, the Marys Robinson and McAleese.

Treaty Women - Liz provides a fascinating insight into the women who worked with the delegates in London during the Treaty talks.

Wading through blood: de Valera’s 1922 and the coming of Civil War

De Valera began 1922 as President of the Republic, the undisputed leader of Irish nationalism. He ended the year in hiding, in real danger of execution if he was caught by the Government of the Irish Free State. How had he endured such a fall from grace? And how much responsibility did he bear for the Civil War which ripped Ireland apart in 1922? David McCullagh traces the dramatic events of a year which would define de Valera’s career.