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TUS Protocols

These Protocols and Policies are intended to guide all colleagues in TUS when planning events at the university.

These protocols and policies have been developed to ensure consistently high standards at events in TUS and that key guests of the university are treated with due respect and courtesy.

If advice or guidance on any aspect of planning an event is required, please contact the Office of the President at PRESIDENTSDIARY@TUS.IE

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Protocol for VIP visits to TUS

The following are considered key visitors (VIPs) to the university and should be treated in accordance with this protocol:

  • The President of Ireland
  • Mayor of Limerick (for Limerick campuses)
  • County Mayors of Limerick, Clare, Tipperary or Westmeath (for respective campuses)
  • An Taoiseach
  • An Tánaiste
  • Government Ministers and MEPs (Irish and international)
  • Members of the Oireachtas
  • International Heads of State
  • Senior officials of the European Commission and European Parliament
  • Irish and international Ambassadors
  • CEOs and senior officials of key University stakeholders and current/potential corporate and industry partners
  • CEOs and Editors of Irish and international newspapers and news media
  • Members of the Irish Supreme Court
  • Irish and international University Presidents/Chancellors/Vice Chancellors
  • Senior officials from TUS’s joint partners
  • Irish and international “celebrities” from the worlds of entertainment, sports, the arts, science, etc.

Invitations to the President of Ireland, Irish Government Ministers including An Taoiseach, and MEPs to attend or officiate at a TUS event (or any event organised on behalf of TUS) may only be issued by the President of TUS.

In this case, a letter of invitation to the VIP is drafted by the “host” school/department/faculty/unit/centre and forwarded to the Office of the President at PresidentsDiary@tus.ie for approval/comment and issue. 

The Office of the President will liaise with the host/organisers once a response is received from the VIP.

All schools/departments/faculties/units/centres will notify the Office of the President by email at the earliest opportunity (minimum one month) to advise and agree a date in the President’s diary for a visit of a VIP.

This email should include the following details:

  • Title and purpose of the visit/event
  • Date, time, expected duration and venue(s) of the visit/event
  • Details of the VIP’s role
  • Details of the President’s role
  • Running order of the visit/event
  • Visit/Event’s “host” school/department/faculty/unit/centre
  • Contact details for visit/event’s organiser
  • Other invitees, including potential VIPs

If the President is unavailable on a suggested date, a senior university representative may officiate in the President’s place, but please note that certain high-profile, strategic visits/events may need to be rescheduled to ensure the President’s availability and participation.

No less than one week prior to the visit/event, a written, detailed event brief providing the following information should be forwarded by email to the Office of the President by the organisers:

  • Visit/event’s start and finish time
  • Running order of event and order of speakers
  • Arrival and departure time of VIP
  • Details of who will greet the VIP on arrival and where
  • Prepared draft speech or speaking notes for the President
  • Contact details for the visit/event host
  • Details of the key speakers and guests
  • Background information on the project and people involved
  • The full invite list indicating attendees

Please note that specific protocols apply to visits of the City and County Mayors which will be provided directly by their offices and should be adhered to.

Please note that within the city and county of Limerick, the Mayor of Limerick takes precedence over all others, with the exception of the President of Ireland.  However, if the visit/event is taking place on our Westmeath, Tipperary or Clare campuses, the County Mayor of the county in question takes precedence.

The Estates Office should be notified of visit/events involving an above-mentioned VIP at least one week in advance to provide designated parking and to ensure the safety and security of the VIP during the visit.

This protocol applies to and should be adhered by all schools, departments, faculties and units within TUS.

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol, including order of speakers, seating order, etc., is available from the Office of the President.

Protocol for Presidential, Taoiseach, Ministerial & MEP visits to TUS

Invitations to the President of Ireland, An Taoiseach, Irish Government Ministers or Irish MEPs to attend or officiate at a TUS event (or event organised on behalf of TUS) may only be issued by the President of TUS.

For this reason, any school/department/faculty/unit/centre or student group wishing to invite the President of Ireland, An Taoiseach, an Irish Government Minister or MEP to attend or officiate at a TUS event must first advise the Office of the President in writing, providing the following information:

  • Title and purpose of the event
  • Date, time, expected duration and venue of the event
  • Details of the President/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP’s role
  • Details of the President of TUS’s role
  • Host school/department/faculty/unit/centre
  • Contact details for responsible staff member within the host school/department/faculty/unit/centre

It is important to ensure that sufficient time is allowed for advising the Office of the President and issuing the letter to the President/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP in order to accommodate the President of Ireland/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP’s diary and secure the President of Ireland/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP’s agreement to attend or officiate at an event.  A minimum of 2-3 months is a useful guide.

A letter of invitation to the President of Ireland/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP is drafted by the host school/department/faculty/centre/unit and forwarded to the Office of the President for approval/comment and issue.  The Office of the President will liaise with the host school/department/faculty/centre/unit once an official response has been received.

At least two weeks prior to the event, a written, detailed event brief providing the following information should be forwarded to the office of the President/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP and TUS’s Office of the President by the host school/department/faculty/centre/unit:

  • Start and finish time of the event
  • Running order of the event and order of speakers
  • President of Ireland/Taoiseach/Minister/MEP’s arrival and departure time
  • TUS’s President’s arrival and departure time
  • Details of the key speakers and guests
  • Background information on the project and people involved
  • If the event is followed by a reception/meal/refreshments, details of venue and time
  • Contact details for the event key organiser within the host school/department/faculty/centre/unit

Any visit by the President of Ireland or An Taoiseach to TUS should begin with a welcome by TUS’s President [including a signing of the Visitors’ Book by the President of Ireland/Taoiseach].

Similarly, a visit by a Minister or MEP to TUS should begin with a welcome by TUS’s President including a signing of the Visitors’ Book by the Minister/MEP.  This is especially important if the Minister is visiting the campus in an official capacity for the first time.

However, if a Minister/MEP has visited TUS on more than one previous occasion, it is not necessary to include the signing of the Visitors’ Book each time (for clarification, please contact the Office of the President)

The Estates Office should be notified of visit/events involving an above-mentioned VIP at least two weeks in advance to provide designated parking and to ensure the safety and security of the VIP during the visit.

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol, including order of speakers, seating order, etc., is available from the Office of the President.

Protocol for Ambassadorial Visits to TUS

An Ambassador may be invited to visit TUS by any school/department/faculty/unit/centre. 

It is not necessary for an official invite to be issued to an Ambassador by the President.  However, it is nonetheless customary for an Ambassador visiting TUS to pay a courtesy visit to the President and to sign the Visitors’ Book.

The Office of the President should be advised, in writing, at least one month in advance of all ambassadorial visits to TUS.  The following information should be provided:

  • Name and a short biography of the Ambassador
  • Purpose of the visit
  • Date and time of the visit
  • Venues within TUS to be visited by the Ambassador
  • Details of previous visits to TUS by the Ambassador, if any
  • Details of who will accompany the Ambassador to TUS
  • Contact details of the main organiser within the “host” school/department/faculty/centre/unit

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol, including order of speakers, seating order, etc., is available from the Office of the President and must be adhered to.

The organising school/department/faculty/centre/unit should liaise directly with the Office of the President to agree a time for the Ambassador to pay a courtesy visit to the President.

The Estates Office should be notified of visit/events involving an above-mentioned VIP at least two weeks in advance to provide designated parking and to ensure the safety and security of the VIP during the visit.

Protocol for attendance of TUS President at TUS events

Any school/department/faculty/unit/centre requesting the President’s attendance or participation at an event should forward an email/letter of invitation to the Office of the President [PRESIDENTSDIARY@TUS.IE] at the earliest opportunity, but no less than one month prior to the event, for confirmation of the President’s availability.

If the President is unavailable on a suggested date, a senior university representative may officiate in the President’s place, but please note that certain high-profile, strategic events may need to be rescheduled to ensure the President’s availability and participation.

The email/letter of invitation should provide the following details:

  • Title and purpose of the event
  • Date, time, expected duration and venue of event
  • Key VIP/guest speaker(s) at the event
  • The President’s role at the event
  • Contact details of responsible staff member within the “host” unit

The host school/department/faculty/unit/centre will be responsible for providing guidance notes and background information for the speech to be delivered by the President.  This should be submitted to the Office of the President at least one week prior to the event.

One week prior to the event, a detailed event brief providing the following information should be forwarded to the Office of the President:

  • Running order including all elements of the event and order of speakers
  • Start and finish time of the event
  • The President’s arrival and departure time
  • Key guests in attendance
  • Contact details for the event host or organiser
  • Background information on project, principals and funding involved
  • If a photographer been booked, details of the photographs to be taken
  • If the event is followed by a reception/dinner/refreshments, details of venue, time and dinner guests where relevant

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol, including order of speakers, seating order, etc., is available from the Office of the President.

Protocol for Order of Speakers & Seating Plan at TUS Events

When there is more than one speaker at an event, a Master of Ceremonies (MC) should open the proceedings where possible and introduce the speakers in turn.

As primary host, the President should typically be the first key speaker introduced by the MC.

If the President is in attendance at an event, he should be the introducer of the principal guest speaker at an event, i.e., President of Ireland, Lord Mayor of Limerick, Taoiseach, Minister, Ambassador, etc.

When determining the seating plan, please note the following:

  • As host, the President sits in the centre of the stage or at the main table
  • The principal guest/guest speaker sits on the President’s right

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol, including order of speakers, seating order, etc., is available from the Office of the President.

Protocol for Order to Address Guests at TUS Events

Guests should be addressed in the following order as appropriate and relevant in speeches at events in TUS:

  • President (of Ireland)
  • Mayor of Limerick if the event is in Limerick
  • Taoiseach
  • Government Minister(s)
  • President (of TUS)
  • Members of the Oireachtas and European Parliament
  • Chairman and Members of the Higher Education Authority
  • (County) Mayors of Clare, Tipperary or Westmeath, if the event is taking place on a campus within their authority
  • Chair of Governing Body
  • Governing Body Members
  • Vice President(s)
  • Head(s) of College
  • Distinguished Guests
  • Colleagues
  • Ladies and Gentlemen ……………

Advice and guidance in relation to this protocol is available from the Office of the President.

Protocol for Display of Flags at TUS

The official TUS Flagpoles (on campuses where there are three) are exclusively reserved for the display of the following flags:

  • The Irish National flag
  • The European Union flag
  • The TUS flag
  • The national flag of any visiting international dignitary

Any “honours” flag awarded to the University in the future is also eligible to be displayed from these flagpoles, on the approval of the Office of the President, and generally for the duration of one day.  By the same token, flags representative of university initiatives are also eligible to be displayed from TUS flagpoles, on the approval of the Office of the President, and generally for the duration of one day. 

As a mark of sympathy and respect, the TUS flag may be flown at half-mast on the death of a current student, current staff member or retired staff member for one day only.

No flag or banner may be displayed in the University where this might be detrimental to the University’s good name and reputation, might result in disruption to University operations or result in public disorder.

Any queries in relation to the display of flags at TUS should be directed to the Estates Office.

The national flag will be managed by TUS on the basis of non-military protocols as set out by the Office of the Taoiseach here.