Tomorrow, the red carpet will be rolled out at Dublin Castle as Catherine Connolly takes the oath as Ireland’s tenth president in a room once used to celebrate royal rule. In today’s podcast, Shane Beatty is joined by journalist and author Flor MacCarthy, who’s been watching the final preparations unfold in St Patrick’s Hall, from the chandeliers polished crystal by crystal to the presidential chair re-gilded for a new era. 

They explore the pageantry carried over from the old days of empire — uniforms, salutes, and a ceremony once designed for kings — and how faith and religion have always played a part, from early Catholic blessings to today’s more pluralist prayers. 

Flor explains how each president used the day to set a tone: Mary Robinson reaching out to the Irish diaspora, Mary McAleese pledging to build bridges north and south, and Michael D. Higgins invoking the power of culture and poetry. 

There are lighter touches too: Flor has uncovered what past presidents had for lunch — Dev’s post-inauguration feast was simply chicken, peas and spuds — and she offers a glimpse inside Áras an Uachtaráin, where President-elect Connolly and her family will move in tomorrow afternoon. 

Expect a ceremony rich in symbolism, with plenty of Irish language woven through. Catherine Connolly has said she wants Irish to be the working language of her presidency. 

📘 Read more in Flor MacCarthy’s book The Presidents’ Letters: An Unexpected History of Ireland (Little Island Books): 

👉 https://www.littleisland.ie/books/the-presidents-letters-an-unexpected-history-of-ireland 

✉️ Email us your thoughts on the new president: newstalkdaily@newstalk.com