The Presidents’ Letters: Flor MacCarthy

Time and date

Monday 10 July 2023

5:00 pm

Join Flor MacCarthy for a conversation about her book The Presidents’ Letters. With over 400 letters, memos, cards, telegrams, drawings, notes and photographs, this beautiful book reveals a personal and unexpected story of Ireland since the inauguration of our first president, Douglas Hyde.

Flor will be in conversation with Denyse Woods

Admission: €18

Most of these have never been published before and a handful have never been seen by the public. They are letters of congratulations, of resignation, of sympathy. A handwritten note from a president to a queen, a message sent to the moon, a fond farewell from a poet. There are letters of joy and loss, begging letters and threatening ones, sent from palaces, parliaments and prisons, from war zones, refugee camps and homeless shelters. Meticulously researched and hand-picked for this unique book, these correspondences bring to life our presidents, Áras an Uachtaráin and all those who have passed through its doors.

The Presidents’ Letters is a beautiful homage to the art of the letter, exploring how each of our presidents defined their eras and how they strengthened the relationship between Ireland and all who identify as Irish. Contributors to the book include David McCullagh, Rory Montgomery, Martina Devlin, Catriona Crowe, Samantha Barry, Joseph O’Connor, Harry McGee, Lise Hand, Paul Rouse, Justine McCarthy and Terri Kearney

Writers

Flor MacCarthy

Flor MacCarthy is a journalist and broadcaster who hosts political debates on Oireachtas TV. A former news reporter and newscaster with RTÉ, she also presented a variety of cultural programmes...

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Denyse Woods

Denyse Woods is an Irish writer, based in Cork. She is the author of six novels, including bestseller The Catalpa Tree (Penguin Ireland) and the critically-acclaimed Overnight to Innsbruck (Lilliput Press) and Of Sea and...

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