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.
Mary McAleese also complained to two archbishops and the Papal Nuncio about The Irish Catholic story. In the same correspondence with the proprietor, Mrs McAleese says she stands “accused of misrepresenting his Pope St John Paul II views on the sex act by taking them out of context by people who have done precisely that since they clearly. This is definitely a story, as opposed to an autobiography. Calling it a memoir allows the writer to just write things how she remembers them. This woman, single handed, brought peace to Northern Ireland, justice to the women of Ireland, organised the Queen's visit and took on the church. No one else had a hand in any of it.
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.”
Mary Mcaleese Heres The Story
- Average rating: 4.16 178 ratings 26 reviews 22 distinct works. Similar authors. Here’s the Story: A Memoir. 4.16 avg rating — 114 ratings — 3 editions. Currently Reading.
- Mary McAleese's memoir, Here's The Story, is set to be published later this year. Advertisement The former President of Ireland will be telling all about employment obstacles, sectarian violence.
- In Romance languages, history and story are the same word. This duality applies to Mary McAleese’s memoir, which is at once a meticulously researched and recorded history of the past half-century in Ireland and the story of a life passionately committed to working for peace.
Mary Mcaleese Abortion
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.
Mary Mcaleese Ireland
“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 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.