Who were Ireland's former presidents?
35 minutes ago Share Save Kevin Sharkey BBC News NI Share Save
Getty Images Áras an Uachtaráin, which is located in Phoenix Park, Dublin, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland
People in the Republic of Ireland will head to the polls on Friday to elect their 10th president. Voters will choose between Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who has been backed by Sinn Féin and other left wing parties and Heather Humphreys, the Fine Gael candidate. But who has held the position before? BBC News NI takes a look back at previous heads of state.
Douglas Hyde: 1938-1945
Getty Images Douglas Hyde became the country's first head of state from 1938-1945
Bunreacht na hÉireann(the Irish Constitution) was enacted in 1937 and the following year Douglas Hyde became the country's first head of state. He was the son of a Church of Ireland clergyman in County Roscommon. His name in Irish was Dubhghlas de Híde and he was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, a movement aimed at reviving the Irish language and promoting and preserving Irish culture.
Hyde was a renowned academic who was the first professor of modern Irish at University College Dublin, and later became a member of Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate).
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