Government files show that Patrick Hillery felt there was a policy of hostility to him from the FG-Labour coalition, writes Alison Healy.
Less than three months after he became president, Patrick Hillery threatened to move out of Áras an Uachtaráin if his transport requirements were not met and he complained of a "policy of hostility" towards him from the government led by Liam Cosgrave.
Government files show that Hillery contacted a Department of the Taoiseach official in February 1977 and "expressed grave dissatisfaction" with the proposed transport plans "which he regards as altogether inadequate".
The president pointed out that his predecessor, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh had two State cars and he was only being offered one. His requirements included: an official driver to be available at all times; two cars - one of them being his own Volvo which would be fully maintained, taxed and insured from public funds; a Mercedes and driver to be provided for his wife when attending public functions; and a small car and a driver to be provided for carrying Hillery's children, chaplain and domestic staff.
"He said that the minister for justice [Patrick Cooney] assured him in December last that arrangements to meet his requirements would be made and he resents the fact that, some two and a half months later, the matter is still not resolved," the official noted. "He said that it seemed to him that there is a policy of hostility towards him [on the part of the Government]."
The Fine Gael/Labour coalition was in power at that time but Jack Lynch led Fianna Fáil back to government with a landslide victory a few months later.
"The President concluded his conversation by saying that if the difficulties of living in an isolated place like the Áras were not recognised [by the Government] he would make his own arrangements to live elsewhere and would use the Áras merely as his office," the official wrote.
It appears that Dr Hillery had a few teething problems when he moved into the Áras in December 1976. A month later, he complained about the intrusive Garda patrols around the Áras. The president told a Department of the Taoiseach official that he was "finding it impossible" to get the gardaí to desist from patrolling near the house.
"It is a source of considerable annoyance and embarrassment to the President - especially when he has visitors - to find a member of the Garda patrolling immediately outside the window of his study."
The president said that gardaí should only patrol the periphery of the grounds during daylight hours. Office of Public Works employees were also a "source of annoyance" to the president, the official noted.
His senior aide-de-camp had complained on his behalf on a number of occasions to Cabra station where the gardaí were based but his requests were being ignored.
The president also said he would have expected that the superintendent in charge should have called to see him after he moved into the house but he had not done so. Later that year, Dr Hillery again complained about gardaí walking around in an "overt manner" and he complained about helicopter over-flights at the Áras. "The recent annoyance was caused by a helicopter filming the Zoo," a memo said.