Cover; Front Matter; Title Page; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; List of Plates; Notes on Contributors; Preface; Foreword; CHAPTER 1; Introduction: New Perspectives on the President of Ireland; CHAPTER 2; The President in Comparative Perspective; CHAPTER 3; The Political Role of the President; CHAPTER 4; The Prehistory of the Presidency; CHAPTER 5; The Early Presidents, 1938-1973; CHAPTER 6; The Political of a 'Non-Political' Office, 1973-1990; CHAPTER 7; Activist Presidents and Gender Politics, 1990-2011; CHAPTER 8; Presidential Elections: The Collapse of Partisanship?; CHAPTER 9.

The 2011 Presidential Election: Explaining the OutcomeCHAPTER 10; Conclusion: The President of Ireland: Past, Present and Future; Appendix 1; Results of Presidential Elections, 1928-2011; Appendix 2; Presidential Inauguration Addresses, 1938-2011; Appendix 3; Meetings of the Council State, 1940-2013; References; Index.