Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese spoke about the murder of two family friends, that occurred on her wedding day, during an appearance on Friday night’s Late Late Show.
Mary McAleese Here's the Story: A Memoir (Hardcover) Average Rating: (0.0) stars out of 5 stars Write a review. 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 impro. The tone of Mary McAleese’s contemplative and assertive memoir, ‘Here’s the Story’ is set with a warning on its opening page: ‘In a divided society the contest for hearts and minds begins with the recruitment of its children to intolerance of others’.
On the day of her wedding to husband Martin in 1976, two close family friends were killed by loyalist paramilitaries.
McAleese, 69, appeared on the show ahead of the release of her memoir Here’s The Story and she told host Ryan Tubridy about how violence in Northern Ireland impacted on her wedding day.
“I’m the oldest of nine, a lot of responsibility in that. I always wanted an older brother, so a few doors up from where I lived, there was a family of O’Reilly’s, big family, 13 of them.
“I loved them, I was in and out of their house and I had them tormented…but particularly Tony and Miles, two of the boys who were my kind of surrogate big brothers.”
She added: “They bought a restaurant and pub where in fact Martin and I had intended on having our wedding reception, I told Tony about the numbers because we’re from a really big clan, and he said ‘Your ma will never put up with that.’ Anyway we ended up moving it to a hotel in Newry and on the morning of my wedding, loyalists….my father warned them not to buy the place they bought, incidentally. He was worried about where it was.
“Loyalist paramilitaries came in on that morning and shot them and set fire to them both and killed them.”
Ms McAleese revealed her family had tried to keep the news from her so she could enjoy her big day but she knew something was wrong during the wedding reception.
“I couldn’t believe how quickly they wanted to get rid of us. We got into our good clothes and off we went. But I was told emphatically leaving, ‘don’t ring home now, just have your honeymoon, don’t bother ringing. Don’t read newspapers.'”
She added: “After we had our first lovely meal in Dublin as a married couple, I thought I would ring home just in case. The words ‘don’t ring home’ bothered me, and that’s when I found out Tony and Miles were dead.”
Comments are closed.
More National News
Crews tackle fire in Killarney National Park for third night
Sunday, 25/04/21 - 9:38pmCovid vaccine: One million people have had first dose, Taoiseach says
Sunday, 25/04/21 - 7:04pm
Mary Mcaleese Books
Man (22) killed after cliff fall in Co Cork named locally
Sunday, 25/04/21 - 5:39pmMary Mcaleese Here's The Story Book
Description
The groundbreaking two-term President of Ireland tells the stories of her lifeWhen 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._______________’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’ Sinead 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’ RTE Guide’Compelling … Displays many of the qualities that made her such a popular president’ Business Post