Mairead Maguire
Mairead Corrigan (born January 27, 1944) was the cofounder, with Betty Williams of the Community of Peace People, an organization which attempts to encourage a peaceful resolution of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Biography
Marriead Corrigan was born in Catholic family in Northern Ireland. She was the Second child of 7.(5 girls and two boys) She attended Catholic school until the age of 14 when her parents could no longer pay here tuition. She found a job as a secretary.
Marriead became active with the peace movement after her sister was killed by a runaway IRA car. Betty Williams had witnessed the event and soon after the two co-founded the Women for Peace which later became the Community for Peace. By the end of the month Betty and her 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 welcomed Mordechai Vanunu after he was released for an 18yr prison sentence for disclosing Israel's nuclear secrets.