One remarkable feature of modern Irish politics has been the advance of women to high offices. The seventh and eighth presidents of Ireland have been women. While this role has primarily been a figurehead office for most of its existence, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese have redefined the position into a platform of international significance.

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson was born in Ballina, County Mayo, in 1944. She earned law degrees from Trinity College and Harvard University, and in 1969 she became Trinity College's youngest law professor ever. She became involved in Irish politics early, representing the Labour Party in the Irish Upper House of Parliament from 1969 to 1989. In 1988 she and her husband, Nicholas, founded the Irish Centre for European Law.

Robinson served as president of Ireland from 1990 to 1997. She pursued economic, political, and cultural ties with other nations, continuing Ireland's tradition of active involvement in the European Union. But Robinson didn't only seek to advance Ireland's ties to its wealthy neighbors; she also used the post to advocate the rights of poor countries throughout the world. Citing Ireland's experiences in the Great Famine, she argued for the responsibilities of industrialized nations to help developing nations.

Robinson brought this sense of international responsibility to the United Nations, where she served as high commissioner for human rights from June 1997 to September 2002. Only the second person to serve in the role, Robinson used the relatively unknown position to take strong stances on human rights issues around the world. She traveled to dozens of nations during her term, often creating controversy. Her condemnation of human rights abuses in China and Chechnya aroused defensive reactions from the Chinese and Russian leaders. She created more surprise by criticizing NATO bombing in Serbia and U.S. bombing campaigns in Afghanistan.

Robinson has won a number of prizes in recognition of her efforts, including the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding and the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.

Mary McAleese

Mary McAleese was born in 1951 to a Catholic family in Belfast. She became aware of Northern Ireland's problems at an early age, when her father's shop was fired on in sectarian violence. Her early career was similar in some ways to Mary Robinson's; she earned a law degree at Queens University and became a law professor at Trinity College. McAleese has served on several legal committees in Ireland, and in 1987 she became pro-vice chancellor of Queens University, the first woman to hold that role. She has also been an active broadcaster with Radio Telefís Éireann.

McAleese took office as the eighth president of Ireland in November 1997, the first person from Northern Ireland to serve in this role. “Building Bridges” has been the theme of her presidency — she has sought to promote social inclusion, equality, and reconciliation throughout Ireland's population. Many people hope that her inclusive philosophy will help build a stronger relationship between the North and the South.