Behind the Headlines: The Irish Presidency

A Behind the Headlines discussion as part of the Trinity Arts & Humanities Research Festival.

Please register here.

As the 2025 Irish Presidential election approaches, the Trinity Long Room Hub’s Behind the Headlines series will debate the role of the Irish President: its impact, the values the presidency enshrines, and some of the most important historical moments from Douglas Hyde to Michael D. Higgins. 
Chairing the discussion, Professor David Kenny of Trinity’s School of Law will be joined by a panel of multi-disciplinary experts to go back in time to discuss the most significant presidential elections in Irish history, some of the biggest controversies presidents have faced in office, as well as some of their greatest achievements, and debate the question of whether the presidency always reflects our values as a country. 
Speakers: 
David Kenny (Chair) is Professor in Law and Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in Irish and comparative constitutional law. He is the author of ‘Pragmatism, Law and Literature’ and co-author of the leading text on Irish constitutional law, Kelly: The Irish Constitution. Professor Kenny has worked on constitutional reform issues across the island of Ireland. 

Etain Tannam is Deputy Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub and Associate Professor of International Peace Studies at Trinity’s School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies. She is the author of British-Irish Relations in the Twenty-First Century (OUP, 2024) and her research focuses on British-Irish relations, the Belfast/Good-Friday Agreement, and cross border (North-South) cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland. 

John Walsh is Co-Convenor of the Cultures Academic Values and Education Research Centre (CAVE) in the School of Education and course leader of the M.Ed. in Higher Education. Dr Walsh is the author of Patrick Hillery: the official biography and Higher Education in Ireland, 1922-2016, Politics, Policy and Power. John Walsh is also a member of the Labour Group on Fingal County Council.  

Gail McElroy is a Professor in Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin. An expert on comparative politics and in voting behaviour, she is a member of the National Election and Democracy Study Board of the Irish Electoral Commission. She is currently writing the chapter on the 2025 Irish Presidential election in the new edition of The Irish Presidency: Power, Ceremony and Politics (editors – John Coakley and Kevin Rafter). 

Declan Leddin is a former Ministerial adviser and former member of the Labour party national strategy team. Currently undertaking postgraduate studies in Trinity’s Department of History, Declan has worked on every presidential election since 1990 and on many referenda that have brought about important changes to the Constitution. 
The Trinity Long Room Hub Behind the Headlines series is supported by The John Pollard Foundation. 

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: tlrh@tcd.ie