Sir, - With reference to Garech Browne's letter in your issue of February 26th, it is noteworthy that President Robinson is the second head of state to be honoured in the recent past through the agency of the Genealogical Office. Just over a year ago, President Clinton was the recipient of an heraldic presentation commissioned from the Office by the Taoiseach to mark the visit of the American President to Ireland.
Several other distinguished visitors to the country over the years have been similarly honoured. They include Presidents Kennedy Nixon and Reagan of the USA General de Gaulle of France; Prime Ministers Mulroney and Keating of Canada and Australia respectively; Edsel Ford of the Ford Motor Company; Matthew Barret of the Bank of Montreal and Donald Keough of the Coca Cola company.
Accordingly, it should be evident that the level at which the office functions, and the nature of those functions, demand that it operates as an office of state and not as a section of a semi state body as proposed in the Cultural Institutions Bill (as amended in Seanad Eireann). Otherwise we simply disregard the norms of internationally accepted custom and practice. Yours, etc.,
Reilly's Avenue,
Dublin 8.