Mary Robinson’s Papers / "Presidential Library "

[slasher]

maryrobinsoncentre.ie/the-centre.html

https://www.maryrobinsoncentre.ie/uploads/4/1/7/9/4179272/3571413.jpg?1368116099

irishtimes.com/news/ireland/ … -1.2822986

Planned library at Mary Robinson’s former home delayed
Brother yet to sell Ballina building where former president’s archive is to be held

Former president Mary Robinson’s brother has yet to sign a deal to sell the family’s ancestral home in Ballina to house Ireland’s first presidential library. This is despite the fact that €6 million of State money has already been allocated to the project and a major campaign is under way in the US to raise millions from private donors.
The €8.35 million Mary Robinson Centre is due to be in Victoria House, a three-storey period property on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina, owned by Ms Robinson’s brother Adrian Bourke. It is currently a solicitor’s office.
Mayo County Council has allocated €1.5 million to buy the property and adjacent lands, but four years after the centre was first announced, the council and Mr Bourke have failed to agree a price.

Freedom of Information documents indicate that Mayo County Council was prepared to pay €665,000 for Victoria House. This was based on a valuation agreed by NUI Galway “for the acquisition of property of strategic value to the University”.
NUI Galway is the academic partner and an enthusiastic supporter of the project.
Mr Bourke did not respond to an emailed list of questions surrounding the sale.

irishtimes.com/opinion/diarm … -1.2838667

Ferriter fairly takes Robinson to task; however he doesn’t mention the owner of the proposed building… presumably for legal reasons?

Diarmaid Ferriter: Mary Robinson’s legacy in no need of a vanity project

…
Such an assessment can be made because Ó Dálaigh’s private papers are held in the University College Dublin (UCD) archives, and combined with the State papers in the National Archives, they allow for a detailed analysis and interpretation of the events that led to his resignation. The papers of one of his predecessors as president, Éamon de Valera, are also in the UCD archives, as are the papers of Ó Dálaigh’s successor, Patrick Hillery, which were deposited by Hillery in 1991 and 1997. All collections in the UCD archives are donated without payment of any kind. The current president, Michael D Higgins, donated the archive of his career up to that point to the National Library of Ireland in 2011, also without payment, with the promise of more to come.

However, the papers of Mary Robinson, president in 1990-1997, are heading west to the new Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina, which has an estimated cost of €8.35 million. Mayo County Council, which will hold the papers in trust on behalf of the State, has committed €1.5 million to the centre, while the Department of the Taoiseach will provide €2 million, and this money will reportedly be matched through philanthropic funding.

Robinson’s archive is being assessed for acceptance as a heritage donation; under sections of the Finance Act 1995 and the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, a tax credit equal to 80 per cent of the market value of the heritage item donated can be credited against tax liabilities incurred by the donor. As the Robinson archive has been valued by Mealy’s auctioneers at €2.5million, this amounts to a possible tax credit of €2 million. Robinson has described this project as a “give back” to the people of Ireland.

The website of the Mary Robinson Centre lists the contents of the archive, including:
“2,000 books on law and Human Rights (many of these presented to Mary Robinson and signed by the author); 3,800 periodicals, many of them with contributions by Robinson; A Master File of the President’s engagements from Dec 1990 to Sept 1997; The symbolic light in the window of Áras an Uachtaráin from Mary’s Presidency; Robinson’s personal diaries from 1967 to 1990 and from 1998 to 2001; 325 Archive Cartons containing documents ranging from the Anglo Irish Agreement to Women and Equality . . .”

Whether these items are worth €2.5 million is arguable, but equally troubling is that an auction house ever had to be involved in the calculation of the material value in the private market of an archive of a former head of state. **And why is a “master file” of the president’s engagements not the property of the State? **If Robinson wants to encourage research into her career, or assessments of her legacy, she should follow the practice of her predecessors and donate her papers to the National Library, the National Archives or one of the national universities, without any need for tax credits or valuations by auctioneers and with no excessively expensive, publicly funded vanity centre.

Robinson is a former groundbreaking politician and head of state, in receipt of a very large annual pension from the public purse, being paid €121,158 last year. Her public service should extend to the donation of her archive in the proper sense, continuing a noble tradition.

sounds like the Bourke/Robinsons are a bit like the Clintons - ostensibly concerned with the public good but always seem to make out like bandits on the back of their concerns

[dipole]

Who’ll be the Curator? Will they be handpicked by the Burke family?

[temene]

Who in Nuig is pushing for this? Sounds like it needs to be investigated by the C&AG
€6 million of State money has already been allocated to the project

[mr_anderson]

I understand an entire wing of the library is given up to her writings on The Art of Nodding.

[FreeFallin]

Champagne Socialist from the Labour party makes a killing off the Irish taxpayer…move along, nothing new to see here

[Skippy_3]

Ferriter’s articles can be a bit off-kilter but this one is spot on.

At best it’s a vanity project. At worst it’s a (legal) tax avoidance exercise and a chance to offload some family property.

FYI: the best price with a Ballina address this year was €350k, from the townland it seems a bit out of town and is presumably a McMansion.

Apartments (for those suggesting there is a housing crisis in Ireland) can be picked up for <€40k…

[BuMble]

@temene

Who in Nuig is pushing for this? Sounds like it needs to be investigated by the C&AG CAB
€6 million of State money has already been allocated to the project

FYP

[slasher]

@Skippy 3

Ferriter’s articles can be a bit off-kilter but this one is spot on.

At best it’s a vanity project. At worst it’s a (legal) tax avoidance exercise and a chance to offload some family property.

FYI: the best price with a Ballina address this year was €350k, from the townland it seems a bit out of town and is presumably a McMansion.

Apartments (for those suggesting there is a housing crisis in Ireland) can be picked up for <€40k…

the fact that Ferriter didn’t or couldn’t mention the ownership of the building stinks

[Cordyline]

Archive

Mary Robinson’s archive includes the following:
2000 books on Law and Human Rights (many of these presented to Mary Robinson and signed by the author)
3800 periodicals, many of them with contributions by Mary Robinson
A Master File of the President’s engagements from Dec 1990 to Sept 1997
The symbolic light in the window of Áras an Uachtaráin window from Mary’s Presidency
Mary Robinson’s personal diaries from 1967 to 1990 and from 1998 to 2001
325 Archive Cartons containing documents ranging from the Anglo Irish Agreement to Women and Equality
74 A4 file boxes covering daily files during period as UN Commissioner for Human Rights
312 Gifts, 119 Awards and 61 Honorary doctorates
Videos, Radio and Cassette Tapes
Scrap Books and Photo Albums

Mary Robinson’s archive was valued in 2012 at approximately €2.5 million.

The full list from the Mary Robinson Centre website. What a treasure trove! Dated law books, old magazines and boxes of files. And a lamp.

Presumably there will need to be a sophisticated security system put in place to protect the Cassette Tapes.

[ps200306]

Here’s an alternative (and perhaps more appropriate) setting for Mary’s knick-knacks. That money that’s been set aside should cover it for, oh, about five thousand years or so.

https://www.u-store.com.mt/library/_images/NImage_47_310x310_380348265407305.png

[Thing_Fish]

@mr_anderson

I understand an entire wing of the library is given up to her writings on The Art of Nodding.

that would be better than the climate justice reading room. she’s prattling on about farting cows, and people should turn vegan to reduce their carbon footprints

[slasher]

Sir, –
It’s a pity Diarmaid Ferriter does not explore all the facts surrounding the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina in his column “Robinson legacy doesn’t need a vanity project in Mayo” (Opinion, October 22nd).
This is not just a library with her presidential papers on display, but will be an educational facility, a human rights centre and will host events as well as being a museum. Ms Robinson is a member of The Elders group which has included among its ranks the late Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Martti Ahtisaari, Ela Bhatt among others. Only last year we were graced with a visit from Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel.

This is the scale of what we are talking about. The Mary Robinson Centre exists already in Ballina, it is just that it has no home as yet. In Ballina we are already blessed with the Jackie Clarke library, a collection of historical papers and artefacts.

I recall when Mayo County Council bought an old bank building in disrepair for €2.6 million and spent another few million on it just before the property crash to house the collection, there were many doubters. But it has proven to be a huge success.

The Robinson house on the banks of the Moy will be taken over entirely for this new project and will also be a great success. I suspect that among the begrudgers are many who never forgave Ms Robinson for winning the 1990 presidential election heralding a new era in Irish politics.
– Yours, etc,

BRENDAN CAFFERTY
Ballina, Co Mayo.

anyone else ever hear of this huge success?

Sir, – I agree with Diarmaid Ferriter. The papers of Mary Robinson should be donated to the State and if we cannot trust our presidents to do this then it should be made a condition of employment.
It seems to me that the idea of assessing the Robinson archive for acceptance as a heritage donation is nothing more than a means of paying for the archive.
The bottom line is the taxpayer will pay.

The symbolic light in the window of Áras an Uachtaráin for Ms Robinson’s presidency has suddenly become very dim indeed and her invitation to us in her inauguration speech to “come dance with me in Ireland” is beginning to ring somewhat hollow.

– Yours, etc,
FRED J FITZSIMONS
Drumbracken,
Carrickmacross.
Sir, – How easily they forget! Diarmaid Ferriter clearly has forgotten rule number one: you cannot criticise Mary Robinson, ever!
This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.
It was horrible, just horrible. Some day, maybe, when we have the courage, we might expose them for what they did.
Not great for a historian to be forgetting such important and contextual information.
Maybe he might write about it some day.

– Yours, etc,
CIONNAITH
O’HEACHTIGHEIRN
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.

[Coles2]

Sir, – How easily they forget! Diarmaid Ferriter clearly has forgotten rule number one: you cannot criticise Mary Robinson, ever!
This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.
It was horrible, just horrible. Some day, maybe, when we have the courage, we might expose them for what they did.
Not great for a historian to be forgetting such important and contextual information.
Maybe he might write about it some day.

– Yours, etc,
CIONNAITH
O’HEACHTIGHEIRN
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.

Whoooah, that guy is clearly nuts. They shouldn’t publish letters like that which just cause embarrassment to his friends and family.

Edit: Or maybe he’s just being sarcastic? But then why? ffs.

[ps200306]

I assumed this guy was being sarcastic … then I realised to my horror that maybe he wasnt!

@slasher

Sir, –
It’s a pity Diarmaid Ferriter does not explore all the facts surrounding the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina in his column “Robinson legacy doesn’t need a vanity project in Mayo” (Opinion, October 22nd).
This is not just a library with her presidential papers on display, but will be an educational facility, a human rights centre and will host events as well as being a museum. Ms Robinson is a member of The Elders group

which has included among its ranks the late Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Martti Ahtisaari, Ela Bhatt among others. Only last year we were graced with a visit from Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel.

This is the scale of what we are talking about. The Mary Robinson Centre exists already in Ballina, it is just that it has no home as yet. In Ballina we are already blessed with the Jackie Clarke library, a collection of historical papers and artefacts.

**I recall when Mayo County Council bought an old bank building in disrepair for €2.6 million and spent another few million on it just before the property crash to house the collection, there were many doubters. But it has proven to be a huge success.
**
The Robinson house on the banks of the Moy will be taken over entirely for this new project and will also be a great success. I suspect that among the begrudgers are many who never forgave Ms Robinson for winning the 1990 presidential election heralding a new era in Irish politics.
– Yours, etc,

BRENDAN CAFFERTY
Ballina, Co Mayo.

[FreeFallin]

@Coles2

Sir, – How easily they forget! Diarmaid Ferriter clearly has forgotten rule number one: you cannot criticise Mary Robinson, ever!
This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.
It was horrible, just horrible. Some day, maybe, when we have the courage, we might expose them for what they did.
Not great for a historian to be forgetting such important and contextual information.
Maybe he might write about it some day.

– Yours, etc,
CIONNAITH
O’HEACHTIGHEIRN
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.

Whoooah, that guy is clearly nuts. They shouldn’t publish letters like that which just cause embarrassment to his friends and family.

Edit: Or maybe he’s just being sarcastic? But then why? ffs.

Because the IT love witty sarcastic letters, especially from those readers in Sth Dublin

[FreeFallin]

@ps200306

I assumed this guy was being sarcastic … then I realised to my horror that maybe he wasnt!

@slasher

Sir, –
It’s a pity Diarmaid Ferriter does not explore all the facts surrounding the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina in his column “Robinson legacy doesn’t need a vanity project in Mayo” (Opinion, October 22nd).
This is not just a library with her presidential papers on display, but will be an educational facility, a human rights centre and will host events as well as being a museum. Ms Robinson is a member of The Elders group

which has included among its ranks the late Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Martti Ahtisaari, Ela Bhatt among others. Only last year we were graced with a visit from Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel.

This is the scale of what we are talking about. The Mary Robinson Centre exists already in Ballina, it is just that it has no home as yet. In Ballina we are already blessed with the Jackie Clarke library, a collection of historical papers and artefacts.

**I recall when Mayo County Council bought an old bank building in disrepair for €2.6 million and spent another few million on it just before the property crash to house the collection, there were many doubters. But it has proven to be a huge success.
**
The Robinson house on the banks of the Moy will be taken over entirely for this new project and will also be a great success. I suspect that among the begrudgers are many who never forgave Ms Robinson for winning the 1990 presidential election heralding a new era in Irish politics.
– Yours, etc,

BRENDAN CAFFERTY
Ballina, Co Mayo.

Did he not read aloud his letter before posting it! The fact he accentuated that the money was spent at the height of the madness points to this guy being a ‘local’ fundamentlaist

[Coles2]

@FreeFallin

@Coles2

Sir, – How easily they forget! Diarmaid Ferriter clearly has forgotten rule number one: you cannot criticise Mary Robinson, ever!
This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.
It was horrible, just horrible. Some day, maybe, when we have the courage, we might expose them for what they did.
Not great for a historian to be forgetting such important and contextual information.
Maybe he might write about it some day.

– Yours, etc,
CIONNAITH
O’HEACHTIGHEIRN
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.

Whoooah, that guy is clearly nuts. They shouldn’t publish letters like that which just cause embarrassment to his friends and family.

Edit: Or maybe he’s just being sarcastic? But then why? ffs.
Because the IT love witty sarcastic letters, especially from those readers in Sth Dublin

I’m really confused by this one.

“How easily they forget! Diarmaid Ferriter clearly has forgotten rule number one: you cannot criticise Mary Robinson, ever!” Ok. That’s sarcasm. And I get it. Some people feel that journalists don’t write enough shit things about MR. Does she deserve more criticism? I don’t think so. She’s well regarded around the world for highlighting important issues and certainly while she was President she was widely regarded as a good one.

“This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.” Well, that never happened so obviously it’s a sarcastic response to the previous sarcastic line? Possible by another, separate voice in the author’s own head? It makes no sense. It sets off alarm bells for me.

"It was horrible, just horrible. Some day, maybe, when we have the courage, we might expose them for what they did."Now he’s reaffirming it, so that implies that the original sarcasm was intended to be mocking and that anyone who feels that they can’t criticise MR is being a bit stupid?

"Not great for a historian to be forgetting such important and contextual information. Maybe he might write about it some day."So where are we now? Is this sarcasm? Obviously the ‘important and contextual information’ was nothing of the sort, so I assume it is meant to be sarcastic? But then where are we going with this? And why?

Ffs, it’s rubbish.

[ps200306]

@Coles2

“This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.” Well, that never happened so obviously it’s a sarcastic response to the previous sarcastic line? Possible by another, separate voice in the author’s own head? It makes no sense. It sets off alarm bells for me.

That one made me smile. It’s a sly reference to journalists constantly banging on about how Ireland was ruled by fear in past decades. Can’t believe you don’t get it. There was a prime example of a journalist doing it in another Pin thread literally this morning.

[Coles2]

@ps200306

@Coles2

“This rule was brutally beaten into us as children (and adults) by those mean people called journalists who ruled the land by fear throughout the 1990s.” Well, that never happened so obviously it’s a sarcastic response to the previous sarcastic line? Possible by another, separate voice in the author’s own head? It makes no sense. It sets off alarm bells for me.

That one made me smile. It’s a sly reference to journalists constantly banging on about how Ireland was ruled by fear in past decades. Can’t believe you don’t get it. There was a prime example of a journalist doing it in another Pin thread literally this morning.

I got the reference alright, but it makes no sense to introduce it. It’s all absurd.

[ps200306]

Maybe one man’s witty sarcasm is another man’s off-colour tasteless remark?