THE President was formally presented with her patent of arms by the Chief Herald of Ireland, Dr Patricia Donlon, at a simple ceremony in the Genealogical Office in Dublin last night.
Mrs Robinson will never be short of wildlife because the crest carries symbols of a dove, a stag and the cat a mountain, a symbol of the de Burgo of Connacht the President's family name being the Bourkes of Mayo.
The shield symbolises the President's role as Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, while the crest symbolises the defence of ideas, said Mr Fergus Gillespie, deputy Chief Herald.
He said the cat a mountain, in other words a wildcat, is the de Burgo crest, but the original collar and chain was replaced with a more liberated cat altogether, "rampant guardant" holding the Bourke arms between his paws.
To honour her status as President, he said, the colours on the top of the shield represented the Presidential arms and those of the State, azure and argent, colours befitting a chief.
The dove symbolised Colm Cille, patron of Donegal and of the President's maternal line, the O'Donnells, and the oak leaf in its beak represented Derry, the city with which the President identified as a child.
He said there were other reasons for the references to Colm Cille - as a figure of exile and emigration which reflected the President's concern for and focus on the Irish diaspora.
The shield also carries a ship under full sail, similar to the one on the Arms of Ballina and of Mayo, which was also on the arms of Grinne Mhaol whom he described as the first women in Gaelic Ireland to become an effective leader of her people.
The stag's head was taken from the coats of arms of the Robinson families of Ireland and represented the President's husband and children.
The motto, Vocem Dare, (to give voice), reflected her concern, for those who suffered or were marginalised.
The President said she was particularly pleased with the motto and, while she did not intend to go to war she would try and engage in areas of ideas. She said she was delighted to receive the patent from the first woman Chief Herald, who is retiring from the job.
Mrs Robinson praised Dr Donlon's work in the National Library and said she shared her love of the heritage contained there.