From 1997 to 2011, Mary McAleese has served as President of Ireland, and become one of the most popular Presidents Ireland has ever known. Representing Ireland on the world stage through the highs of the Celtic Tiger and the lows of recent years, she has sounded a voice that is trusted and respected and has become one of the finest examples of what Ireland could and should be. Her tenure, focussing on the building of bridges, creating an inclusive society, celebrating all the peoples of Ireland, is mapped out here in a book that will become a touchstone for all those who have lived through these times. Containing all key speeches that have shaped the 14-year term of President mary McAleese.

The groundbreaking two-term President of Ireland tells the stories of her life 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 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 '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' Sinéad 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' RTÉ Guide

From 1997 to 2011, Mary McAleese has served as President of Ireland, and become one of the most popular presidents Ireland has ever has known. Representing Ireland on the world stage through the highs of the Celtic Tiger and the lows of recent years, she has sounded a voice that is trusted and respected and has become one of the finest examples of what Ireland could and should be. Her tenure, focusing on the building of bridges, creating an inclusive society, and celebrating all the peoples of Ireland, is mapped out here in a book that will become a touchstone for all those who have lived through these times.

A powerful and intimate account The remarkable story of a woman who journeyed from working class Catholic West Belfast to the highest office in the Republic of Ireland, and who, shedding most of her own tribal baggage, became a President for all the people of Ireland. No other Irish president has remained as popular throughout their terms of office. Mary McAleese is a uniquely Irish phenomenon at an unprecedented time in Irish history when peace and prosperity arrived together on an island bedevilled for centuries by great hatreds. She played an active part in the peace process and she became the incarnation of the theme of her presidency, that of building bridges. This comprehensive title examines Mary McAleese's background and upbringing, her time at Queen's University, her controversial period in RTÉ, and the road to the presidency. Recounts Mary McAleese's family's personal experience of the troubles, including the night their house was riddled with bullets. Provides the 'inside story' of the president and her husband's work in the Peace Process, and Martin McAleese's behind-the-scenes work with the loyalist community. Reveals fascinating facts about Áras an Uachtaráin and its occupants, and includes an overview of the seven previous presidents and an analysis of what the presidency means. Fully illustrated with memorabilia and presidential photographs.

The Book of Kells and the Art of Illumination brings together the Gospel of St. Mark from the 1200-year-old Irish masterpiece with a selection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts which demonstrate the legacy of Kells throughout the centuries, both in terms of Gospel illustration and of the illuminated book. Not only does the Book of Kells testify to the vitality of Celtic art in the Early Middle Ages, but its fortunes also reflect the turbulent nature of the period in which it was created. This was an age in which the British Isles were ravaged by Viking raids, and monastic settlements, the cultural heart of the country, up-rooted. Yet, against these odds, the Book of Kells survived. In later times it suffered further disturbances, and in the middle of the 17th century, during Ireland's battles with Cromwell, it was transferred from the ruined parish of Kells to Trinity College, Dublin, where ever since it has had a secure and distinguished home.

At 7.20pm on 23rd May 2015, in the courtyard of Dublin Castle, Ireland truly became a nation of equals. Ireland Says Yes is the fast-paced narrative account of all the drama, excitement and highs and lows of the last 100 days of the extraordinary campaign for a Yes vote in the 2015 Marriage Equality Referendum. Those who led the Yes Equality campaign tell the inside story of how the referendum was won, and how Ireland’s two principal gay and lesbian rights organisations put together the most effective and successful civic society campaign ever launched in Irish politics. As well as a drama-packed chronological account of how the Yes campaign was executed, the book explores how social media mobilised a new generation of voters to the polls and how political parties, student unions and youth groups co-ordinated their efforts to deliver one of the most historic referendum results in Irish political history.

A timely contribution to the current direction of Vatican II's teachings on collegiality.