Giving voice in ballina library

Mary Robinson and her husband Nick will be in Mary's hometown of Ballina this weekend (Saturday, February 21, 4 p.m.) to officially open an exhibition in the library containing documents and artefacts from her vast and priceless collection.

The exhibition, appropriately, bears the title 'Giving Voice', for Mary – former President of Ireland and UN Special Envoy for Climate Change – has spent her life 'giving voice' to the most marginalised people around the world.

Mary was Ireland's first female president and is a world authority in the field of human rights, women's leadership and climate justice.

She meticulously documented her career and now she has gifted that archive to the people of Mayo. It will soon find a permanent location at the proposed Mary Robinson Centre at her childhood home, Victoria House on Emmet Street, Ballina.

The centre, scheduled to be operational by 2017, will be Ireland's first presidential library. It will include a visitor centre and a third level campus in partnership with NUI Galway.

Giving Voice presents documents, letters, artefacts, books, photographs and much more. There is an open invitation to all to come and view the exhibition, which will remain on display in Ballina Library until October.