Irelandanditsdiaspora.com reports that Professor Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, has recently stated that “votes for the Irish Abroad is a very live issue…” when she took part in a discussion event at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, as part of the British Association of Irish Studies’ (BAIS) annual conference.
The theme of the conference was Ireland: Agents of Social Transformation, and Professor McAleese was interviewed by Professor Mary Hickman, Research Fellow at St Mary’s ; who is herself a leading campaigner on votes for the Irish Abroad . During the interview Professor McAleese discussed her time as President alongside some of the changes she has seen in Ireland over the last thirty years. As part of the discussion, Professor McAleese covered many topics from the current refugee crisis and her own experiences of being “a refugee on [her] own island”, to the current challenges and opportunities facing Ireland today. On the issue of votes for the Irish abroad she spoke in general terms and noted that it is a live issue.
Listen to Professor McAleese speak about voting rights at about 35 minutes into the video.
This was the first time that Professor McAleese has spoken at St Mary’s following the announcement that she would join as a Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies, a role she will take up in January 2016.
The event was sponsored by the Irish Embassy in the United Kingdom and the BAIS