About
Mary McAleese, born in 1951 in Belfast, is an Irish lawyer and academic. She served as the 8th President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011, the first from Northern Ireland. Her presidency focused on reconciliation and building bridges between communities. Before her presidency, she was a law professor at Trinity College Dublin and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast. After her term, she earned a doctorate in canon law and became Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin.
* 1951-06-27
Major works
- Building Bridges (2011)essay
- Quo Vadis?: Collegiality in the Code of Canon Law (2012)academic work
- Children's Rights and Obligations in Canon Law (2019)academic work
- Here's the Story: A Memoir (2020)memoir
Key milestones
- 1997Elected 8th President of Ireland, the first from Northern Ireland.
- 2011Hosts the first state visit by a British monarch to Ireland.
- 2019Appointed Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin.
Themes
ReconciliationAnti-sectarianismSocial inclusionChildren's rightsCanon law
Sources: president.ie · tcd.ie · britannica.com