Mary McAleese

Mary McAleese is the former president of Ireland, a lawyer, author, and podcast host.

In 2019, McAleese was elected as Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin. She is the second woman to hold the position since the university was formed in 1592.

"Changing Times-The Allenwood Conversations" is a podcast she hosts with Mary Kennedy. As two prominent figures in Ireland, they focuses on the theme of change. The podcast features interviews with well-known Irish guests, exploring how they navigate transitions and new beginnings in their lives, often with humor and insight. The conversations delve into Irish culture, personal stories, and the impact of change on Irish identity both at home and abroad. was born in Belfast and grew up, the eldest of nine children, in Ardoyne the area worst affected by sectarian violence during the Troubles. Her family was seriously impacted by paramilitary attacks which cemented her lifelong commitment to non-violence, anti-sectarianism, interreligious dialogue, reconciliation and human rights.

In 1997 McAleese became the first President of Ireland from Northern Ireland. She served in that office from 1997 to 2011 pursuing a theme of reconciliation through Building Bridges which culminated in the 2011 State Visit to Ireland by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the first such visit by a British monarch since independence.

Post-Presidency McAleese returned to full-time study graduating with a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University Rome. In 2018 she was appointed Professor of Children, Law & Religion at University of Glasgow. She is Chair of the Von Hugel Institute, University of Cambridge, former Burns Scholar at Boston College (2013), Keogh-Naughton Fellow, University of Notre Dame (2015) and Distinguished Scholar at St. Mary’s University Twickenham (2016). McAleese is the author of "Reconciled Being" (1997), "Building Bridges" (2011), "Quo Vadis" (2013), and "Children’s Rights and Obligations in Canon Law" (2019). She has been awarded numerous honorary doctorates and national and international prizes including the University of Tubingen’s Alfons Auer Ethics Prize (2019) and Unanima International Woman of Courage Award (2019).

McAleese is an executive fellow of the Notre Dame School of Global Affairs and Chair of the Institute for Global Religions.

McAleese graduated in Law from the Queen’s University of Belfast in 1973 and was called to the Bar of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland and the King's Inns Dublin. In 1975, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin. She trained as a current affairs journalist with RTE. In 1987, she returned to her Alma Mater, Queens, to become Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994, she became the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen’s University of Belfast. McAleese was a founder member of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas, and Belfast Women’s Aid. She has served on the Board of Channel Four Television, BBC Northern Ireland, the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust and Northern Ireland Electricity.