Secretary to the President

The Secretary-General to the President is the senior Irish civil servant who both fulfils four distinct roles in relation to the office of the President of Ireland. The current incumbent is Art O'Leary who was appointed in June 2014.

The Office was established by the Presidential Establishment Act, 1938. Under this Act, and subsequent legislation, the Secretary General is:

The Secretary General's signature is essential for the authentication of the Presidential Seal when affixed to a document executed by the Commission under Seal.

Under the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Act, 1946 the Secretary General to the President is one of a group of senior state officials, including the outgoing president, the Taoiseach and the chairs of both houses of the Oireachtas, who must be formally notified of the election of a new president by the Returning Officer.

The coming into force of the new Irish constitution, in December 1937 resulted in the creation of a new office, President of Ireland. While the office was not scheduled to be filled until mid 1938 its powers, functions and duties were required to be exercised immediately. That role was given to the new collective vice-presidency, which under the transitory provisions of the constitution was made up of the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the Chief Justice and the President of the High Court. (The latter fulfilled the role that would normally be exercised by the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. However the election to the new upper house had yet to take place, so there was no Cathaoirleach.)

The Government immediately appointed as Secretary to the President, as the post was then called, Michael McDunphy, a controversial, outspoken and temperamental civil servant who had prior to his appointment been Assistant Secretary to the Executive Council, and had once been Secretary to the Provisional Governments of Michael Collins and W. T. Cosgrave (January–December 1922) McDunphy, like the Presidential Commission, was originally based in Dublin Castle until a new presidential residence was chosen. He moved into the new Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) in June 1938.

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