In less than 100 minutes, the new theatrically-released documentary “Mrs Robinson” tells the story of Mary Robinson; from her childhood in Ballina, Co. Mayo, her time at Trinity College, studying at Harvard during the civil rights movement, her career as a barrister and representative for civil rights cases at home, Project Dandelion and her fight for climate justice, her time as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, becoming the first female President of Ireland, and everything beyond.
The project began in 2019 when the documentary filmmaker Aoife Kelleher – who is best known for projects like “One Million Dubliners,” which explores the lives of people buried at Glasnevin Cemetery; “Vincent Hanley: Sex, Lies and Videotapes,” on the life of the Irish gay civil rights activist; and “Herstory: Ireland’s EPIC Women,” which covers the stories of Irish women across various industries – was approached by the film producer and founder of the production company Loosehorse, Cormac Hardegan, about making a film on Mary Robinson.
“It’s not necessarily something that would have occurred to me before,” Aoife tells Totally Dublin of her initial reaction to the proposal. “But Mary’s election to the Presidency in 1990 had been this really significant moment. So, I would have been eight at the time, and it was this moment where so much in Irish society [and] in Irish politics suddenly felt possible, especially for young girls like myself, or members of diverse communities around the country, or members of the LGBT community.
“The level of visibility and inclusion and representation that, suddenly, through her Presidency, was invited; like bringing GLEN [Gay and Lesbian Equality Network] and the unemployed into Áras an Uachtaráin. The visibility and representation that, suddenly, exploded into Irish public life really filtered down, I think, to children in primary school, and this sense that politics – and society, in general – wasn’t just for middle-aged men and that we all have voices and we could all take part and we could all expect to take part. So, for me, the idea of capturing that moment and the events around it was really attractive.”
The documentary’s eponymous subject shared some of Aoife’s initial uncertainty. “Mary has been very upfront about the fact that she didn’t want to make a documentary,” Aoife says. But during the film’s development funding process, before production had officially begun, Robinson gave Aoife over twelve hours’ worth of candid interview footage.
“She was really willing to answer everything,” Aoife says. “And I think that the film really portrays a more personal aspect of her. We’ve managed to cover aspects of her family life, for example, which I don’t think are in the public domain. She allowed us to use this extraordinary, home movie film footage that her father filmed throughout her childhood that’s never been seen before. So, even if she wasn’t necessarily the most willing documentary participant, in her own words, she certainly was open to the process and really open to addressing every aspect of her life.”
For Aoife, it was crucial to document the highs and lows of Robinson’s career. She says, “I think it’s very important not to be fawning or hagiographical when you’re covering the life of a public political figure, and to show that leaders are humans, too, [and] that you can have an extraordinary impact and you can make big mistakes.”
As such, the film covers some of the criticisms of Robinson’s career and public life, such as the Princess Latifa controversy (which Aoife says, “There was never any question that we would cover that”) and her decision to end her Presidential term early to accept the position of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN. Not only did discussing these controversies give the film dimension and authenticity but it also gave Robinson the final word on them.
For example, on prematurely ending her Presidential term, Aoife says, “She said that she still regards it as a mistake, but she’s glad that she’s been able to talk about the pressure that she felt from Kofi Annan to finish up in September when she would have preferred to see out the term and stay until December. She says that she feels she should have stayed, that she should have pushed back but she’s glad that she’s had the opportunity to put out her side of the story, while still acknowledging that it was a mistake.”
(Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection)
Making “Mrs Robinson” was an encouraging and educational exercise for Aoife. “For me, really, really digging into those years of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the struggles of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement, was really inspiring,” she says. “The women who were willing to take on what was, basically, a theocratic society and really start to put forward and deal with issues like contraception and family planning, women’s reproductive rights more broadly, homosexuality and gender identity, as well as issues like the legal system and access to legal aid.
“I think it was really extraordinary to spend time with women like Rosita Sweetman and Máirín de Burca, as well as David Norris, and talk about those early civil rights issues and how they were dealt with in an Irish context, and that was the big learning that I took out of it, was getting the sense that political figures, like Mary Robinson, are always taking the baton from really extraordinary and often unsung heroes who have gone before them.”
Aoife concludes, “We’d be delighted if anyone who’s interested in Irish history or women’s representation or politics and society would come along. I think Film Ireland said that everyone should see it, so who am I to disagree?!”
Words: Aaron Kavanagh
Mrs Robinson is in select cinemas nationwide from Friday August 23rd. See mrsrobinsonfilm.com for listings.
To coincide with the nationwide release of Mrs Robinson in cinemas on August 23rd, the University of Galway, in collaboration with Light House Cinema, Pálás and Break Out Pictures, present an exclusive exhibition: “From the Desk of… Mrs. Robinson.” The exhibition is open to the public at Light House Cinema from August 16th to September 1st and Pálás cinema from 21st of August to September 4th.
