London, December 2014. Delegation Dame Dr Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, has been appointed Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. The appointment comes as the Catholic university prepares to celebrate the 165th anniversary of its foundation, confirming the institution’s historic links with Ireland and the quarter century existence of the Centre for Irish Studies.
Dr Mary McAleese, President of Ireland between 1997 and 2011, will take up her position in the School of Arts and Humanities in the 2015/16 academic year. During her presidency, the historic negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 were reached. Dr McAleese will teach on the MA Irish Studies programme and in particular its New Perspectives on Irish History seminar series. She will give a keynote conference lecture and take part in a programme of public conversations during her period of appointment.
Born in Belfast, Dr McAleese is the first President of Ireland to come from Northern Ireland. The theme of her presidency was Building Bridges to address issues concerning justice, social equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation. Dr McAleese played a major role in the Northern Irish peace process and she hosted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the highly successful British State Visit to Ireland in May 2011.
Dr Mary McAleese was invested as a Dame Grand Cross with Gold Star with the Collar decoration of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George in November 2003.
Dr Mary McAleese said: “I am delighted to join St Mary’s at an exciting time in its growth and development and look forward to meeting both students and staff. I particularly look forward to working closely with the excellent team at its Centre for Irish Studies as it researches the continuing development of Anglo-Irish relations. St Mary’s, which has been a focus of Irish life in Britain for 165 years, has an important role to play in this work as we look to the next 100 years of close relations between our two countries.”
St Mary’s is the largest Catholic University in the UK. In 2015 it will celebrate 165 years since its foundation in 1850. The University recently appointed Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, as its Chancellor. For more information on St Mary’s click here.