Mairead Corrigan

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Mairead Corrigan (born January 27, 1944) was the co-founder, with Betty Williams of the Community of Peace People, an organization which attempts to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

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Biography

Corrigan was born in a Roman Catholic family in Belfast. She was the second child of seven (five girls and two boys). She attended Catholic school until the age of 14 when her parents could no longer pay her tuition. She found a job as a secretary.

Corrigan became active with the peace movement after her sister was killed by a car driven by IRA men making a getaway. Betty Williams had witnessed the event, and soon after the two co-founded Women for Peace which later became the Community for Peace. By the end of the month Betty and Mairead managed to get 30,000 women on the streets petitioning for peace between the factions. She believed the most effective way to end the violence was not harsh actions but re-education. [1]. She received the Nobel Peace Prize along with Betty Williams in 1976 for their efforts.

In 1981 she married Jackie MacGuire, who was the widower of her sister who died in 1980. She has three step-children and two of her own, John and Luke.

In 2004 she went to Israel and welcomed Mordechai Vanunu upon his release from prison, where he had served an 18-year prison sentence for disclosing Israel's nuclear secrets.

She is a member of the pro-life group Consistent Life which is against abortion, the death penalty and euthanasia.

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