- Mary McAleese was born in Belfast in 1951. In 1975 she was appointed Reid Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin, and in 1987 she became Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen's University Belfast. She was elected President of Ireland in 1997, and re-elected unopposed in 2004.
- Here's the Story by Mary McAleese. Browse The Guardian Bookshop for a big selection of British & Irish history books and the latest book reviews from The Gu Buy Here's the Story 704 by Mary McAleese for only £17.
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Mary Patricia Mcaleese
Mary McAleese memoir: Fascinating, but not the full story Book review: in Here’s the Story, the former president tells a lot, but not all, about her extraordinary career Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 06:00.
The groundbreaking two-term President of Ireland tells the stories of her life
When a young Mary McAleese told a priest that she planned to become a lawyer, the priest dismissed the idea: she knew no one in the law, and she was female. The reality of what she went on to achieve - despite those obstacles, and despite a sectarian attack that forced her family to flee their home - is even more improbable.
In this luminous memoir, Mary McAleese traces that astonishing arc: from the tight streets of north Belfast, to a professorship in Dublin while still in her twenties, behind-the-scenes work on the peace process, and two triumphant terms as President of Ireland. She writes of her encounters with prime ministers, popes and royalty with the same easy candour and intimacy with which she describes her childhood. And her account of the latest act in her remarkable career - quietly pursuing a doctorate, and loudly opposing the misogyny of the Catholic Church - is inspiring.
Here's the Story is warm, witty, often surprising and relentlessly fascinating: an extraordinarily intimate memoir by one of the most remarkable public figures of our time.
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'A fascinating story and well worth the read' Irish Times
'Riveting ... A fiercely urgent reminder to the world - and the Government - that peace must never be sacrificed for politics' Telegraph
'Excellent' Matt Cooper, Irish Daily Mail
'Artful, entertaining and often enlightening - one of the few memoirs by a senior Irish office-holder that's actually worth reading'Sunday Times
'I was enthralled and absorbed by this memoir' Sunday Independent
'What an incredible life lived by an outstanding role model.I ate this book up' Sinéad Moriarty
'Full of conviction and isn't afraid of plain speaking ... Priests, popes, paramilitaries and Ian Paisley are all held to account'Herald Scotland
'[A] chatty, provocative and embraceable biography' RTÉ Guide
'Compelling ... Displays many of the qualities that made her such a popular president' Business Post
You might be forgiven for thinking that, having grown up in the north of Ireland during the 1980s, my childhood was awash with politics or proselytising mentors. But it was quite the opposite. The Troubles were not discussed at the table or at my school, in fact, my education in a small, provincial town was international and feminist, directed by a strong-minded nun. My English teachers had us discussing Brian Keenan and Nelson Mandela’s release from captivity, and at home we talked about what the presidents of Ireland, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese were getting up to, as they each shook the nation of Ireland into the 21st century.
President Mary Mcaleese
We could even “claim” Mary McAleese as one of our own, as she was born and lived in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, until she was forced to leave. In her book she writes about the moment she was offered a place to study law at university. Returning home from a celebratory meal, she finds British paramilitaries – representatives of law and order – on her street, looking on as local loyalists pointed out and set fire to Catholic homes.
“The Troubles should never have happened. But they did. Women should never have been second-class citizens in the eyes of Church or State. But they were.”
“That is the blighted hand we were dealt. Many worked to heal history and let a new future in. This is how I remember my part of the story.”
There are many narratives retelling Ireland’s navigation of the turn of the century, but few public figures are so well-placed as Mary McAleese to tell the story north and south of the border, from a woman’s perspective. Inspiring and highly recommended reading for anyone who wants an insight into Ireland’s recent history.
“Here’s the story“: A Memoir, Mary McAleese is published by Penguin. For a fascinating and superb interview with Mariam O’Callaghan on 27/09/2020, see the RTE website.
Mary Mcaleese Books
“Mary McAleese is not only one of the great public figures of our time. She has also lived a completely fascinating life,” added Brendan Barrington, editorial director of Penguin Ireland.