Mary McAleese

8th President of Ireland

Mary Patricia McAleese (born 27 June 1951) was the eighth President of the Republic of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was first elected president in 1997 and was re-elected to another seven years from 2004 to 2011. She was ranked the 55th most powerful woman in the world on a list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, despite the ceremonial nature of the presidency.


Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese in May 2011
8th President of Ireland
In office
11 November 1997 – 10 November 2011
Preceded byMary Robinson
Succeeded byMichael D. Higgins
Personal details
Born (1951-06-27) 27 June 1951 (age 72)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyIndependent (1997–2011)
Other political
affiliations
Fianna Fáil (Before 1997)
Spouse(s)Martin McAleese (m. 1976)
Children3
Alma materQueen's University Belfast
Trinity College, Dublin
Signature

She is the first President of Ireland to be born in Northern Ireland. She is also Ireland's second woman president, and the first in the world to succeed another woman.

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