Former president Mary McAleese was highly regarded for her political analysis and “extremely generous” with her time to the British, newly released UK state files have shown.
The former British ambassador to Ireland, Ivor Roberts, wrote a glowing report about a meeting with McAleese in 2001 where he described her as being “at her frank and engaging best”.
“She does not shrink from political or religious engagement in private and occasionally in public too, in a way which occasionally lands her in trouble,” he wrote.
“She has, however, captured the affection of the Irish people which makes her fairly fireproof here and her warmth and bravery are widely (and rightly) admired. I’ve always found her an exceptionally good analyst of the political scene North and South and I hope to continue to draw on her experience. She is also extremely generous with her time.”
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During the two-hour breakfast meeting, the president criticised the then Labour leader Ruairí Quinn, with Mr Roberts reporting that he had an “absolute disaster” on The Late Late Show in a debate with Gerry Adams.
“He had failed to land a single punch on Adams and had come over in an unsympathetic and uncharismatic way, in marked contrast to the Sinn Féin President, who had attracted round after round of applause,” wrote Mr Roberts.
She said that Mr Quinn had gifted Sinn Féin a seat in north Kerry, unless Dick Spring stood. “McAleese said that she was in despair at the way that Adams had got off scot free at Quinn’s hands.”
When she questioned her children about their view of the debate afterwards, Mr Adams’s only “false note” was the mention of a socialist state. “She had found herself, in frustration, shouting questions at the television which Quinn should have been putting to Adams,” wrote Mr Roberts.
There was also a discussion of a State visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland, which Ms McAleese said would be warmly received. It would be another 10 years before the queen would visit Ireland.
“Beneath the antagonism to the British monarchy, the reality was that there was a keen interest in and affection for the monarchy which would be brought out during a state visit as had been shown in the enthusiastic reception of Prince Andrew at Kinsale a few weeks ago,” Mr Roberts reported her as saying.
