Mairead Maguire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mairead Maguire
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Maguire at the Free Gaza Movement in July 2009
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| Born |
Mairead Corrigan
27 January 1944 Belfast, Northern Ireland
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| Other names | Mairead Corrigan Maguire |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
| Organization | The Peace People, The Nobel Women's Initiative |
| Known for | International social activist |
| Spouse(s) |
Jackie Maguire
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 (5) |
| Relatives | Anne Maguire (sister) |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (1976) Norwegian People's Peace Prize (1976) Carl von Ossietzky Medal (1976) Pacem in Terris Award (1990) |
Mairead Maguire (born 27 January 1944) is a famous peace activist from Northern Ireland. She helped start an important group called the Community for Peace People. This group worked to find a peaceful way to end a difficult time in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Mairead Maguire and her co-founder, Betty Williams, won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for their amazing efforts.
Contents
Early Life and Work (1944–1976)
Mairead was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was one of eight children in her family. She went to a Catholic school until she was 14 years old. After that, she worked as a babysitter to save money for more classes.
At 16, she became an accounting clerk. Mairead also spent her free time helping others. She volunteered with the Legion of Mary, working with children and visiting people in prison. Later, she worked as a secretary for the Guinness company until 1976.
Starting the Peace Movement (1976–1980)
Mairead Maguire became deeply involved in the peace movement after a terrible event. Three children of her sister, Anne Maguire, were accidentally killed by a car. The car's driver was a man who had been shot by British soldiers while trying to escape.
A woman named Betty Williams saw this tragedy. She started gathering signatures for a peace petition. Soon, about 200 women marched for peace in Belfast. Mairead joined this march, and she and Betty became leaders of a new movement.
Their next march brought 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women together. They marched to the burial sites of the three Maguire children. Even though some people tried to stop them, Mairead and Betty kept going.
By the end of that month, 35,000 people were marching in Belfast. They were asking for peace between the different groups in Northern Ireland. The movement was first called "Women for Peace." Later, it became "Community of Peace People," or "Peace People," when Ciaran McKeown joined.
Mairead believed that education, not violence, was the best way to end the fighting. The Peace People published a newspaper and helped families visit prisoners. In 1977, Mairead and Betty Williams received the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize. Mairead was 32 years old, making her one of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winners at the time.
After the Nobel Prize (Since 1980)
Even though Betty Williams left the Peace People in 1980, Mairead Maguire has continued to work with the group. She is now its honorary president. The Peace People now works on peace issues all over the world.
In 1981, Mairead married Jackie Maguire, who was her late sister's husband. She has three stepchildren and two children of her own.
In 1981, Mairead also helped start the Committee on the Administration of Justice. This group works to protect human rights for everyone.
She is part of a group called Consistent Life Ethic. This group is against violence, including war and capital punishment.
Mairead has also worked to help political prisoners around the world. In 1993, she tried to enter Myanmar to protest the detention of a leader there. She also signed petitions asking for the release of other Nobel Peace Prize winners and activists.
In 2006, Mairead helped create the Nobel Women's Initiative. This group brings together women who have won the Nobel Peace Prize. They work together to promote peace, justice, and women's rights globally.
Mairead has also supported the Occupy movement. She has praised people who share important information with the public, like Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. She believes they were brave to tell the truth.
Mairead also earned a degree from the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin. She works with different religious groups to promote understanding and peace.
Work in the United States
Mairead Maguire has often spoken out against the policies of the U.S. and British governments, especially regarding conflicts in the Middle East. Her activism in the U.S. has sometimes led to her being questioned by authorities.
In 2012, she decided not to attend a Nobel summit in Chicago. She felt that Nobel Peace laureates should not be hosted by a government that is involved in wars.
Speaking Out Against War
Mairead strongly opposed the United Nations sanctions against Iraq. She called them "unjust and inhuman" because they caused suffering for many innocent people. In 1999, she visited Baghdad and asked leaders to end the bombing and lift the sanctions. She saw children dying and felt it was very unfair.
After the September 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., Mairead campaigned against the war in Afghanistan. She marched with many people in India and New York who wanted peace.
Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Mairead actively protested the war. She spoke at conferences and held a 40-day fast outside the White House. She believed the war was wrong and caused terrible suffering. She also felt that the media in the U.S. did not always show the full truth about the war.
Legal Challenges in the U.S.
Mairead Maguire has been arrested twice in the United States during protests. In March 2003, she was arrested outside the United Nations headquarters while protesting the Iraq War. Later that month, she was briefly held by police near the White House during another anti-war protest.
She has also been detained by immigration authorities at U.S. airports. In 2009, she was questioned, fingerprinted, and photographed, causing her to miss flights. She said authorities insisted she admit to "criminal activities" on an immigration form.
Focus on Israel and Palestine
Mairead Maguire first visited Israel in 1984. She later returned in 2000 and was shocked by the living conditions of Palestinians. Since then, she has visited often, hoping for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
She has been very critical of the State of Israel's policies. She has even suggested that Israel's membership in the United Nations should be reviewed. She supports efforts to boycott and divest from Israel.
Supporting Mordechai Vanunu
Mairead has been a strong supporter of Mordechai Vanunu. He was an Israeli nuclear technician who shared details about Israel's nuclear program. He spent 18 years in prison for this. Mairead flew to Israel to meet him when he was released in 2004 and has visited him several times since.
She has called Vanunu "a man of peace" and urged people to ask for his freedom.
Palestinian Activism
Mairead believes that the separation wall built by Israel is a "monument to fear." She has praised the work of groups like the International Solidarity Movement. She also honored Rachel Corrie, a young American who died protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes.
In 2007, Mairead was injured during a protest against the separation barrier. She was hit by a rubber bullet and inhaled tear gas.
In 2008, Mairead traveled to Gaza on a boat carrying humanitarian aid. She met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. She has also called for Hamas to be removed from the list of terrorist organizations.
In 2009, Mairead was taken into custody by the Israeli military. She was on a ferry carrying aid to Gaza when it was stopped. She said Gaza was like a "huge prison" and that the people there were being punished. She was deported to Dublin a few days later.
In 2010, Mairead was a passenger on the MV Rachel Corrie, a ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza. The ship was stopped by the Israeli navy. Mairead said the blockade was "inhumane and illegal."
Later in 2010, Mairead was refused entry to Israel. Authorities said she had tried to break the naval blockade before. She fought the decision in court but was eventually deported. She continued to support efforts to bring aid to Gaza.
In 2016, Mairead tried again to break the naval blockade of Gaza on the Women's Boat to Gaza. The Israeli Navy stopped the boat and escorted it to port. Mairead said she and the other activists were "arrested, kidnapped, illegally, in international waters."
Comparing Palestinians and Israelis
Mairead has often said that Palestinians are more interested in peace than the Israeli government. She believes that the actions of the Israeli government show a lack of political will for peace.
Russell Tribunal
In 2012, Mairead was part of the Russell Tribunal on Israel/Palestine in New York City. This tribunal looked into the actions of Israel. Mairead asked why the U.S. allows Israel to threaten Iran with war when Iran has signed a nuclear treaty and Israel has nuclear weapons.
After the tribunal, Mairead said it helped people understand the unfairness faced by Palestinians. She believes governments and people have a duty to act and protect human rights.
Rohingya Crisis
In March 2018, Mairead Maguire visited Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. She met with other Nobel Peace laureates, Shirin Ebadi and Tawakkol Karman, to discuss the crisis. They shared their thoughts on how to help the Rohingya people.
Mairead's Beliefs and Vision
Mairead Maguire believes that violence is something people learn, not something they are born with. She thinks humanity is moving towards a future of nonviolence and love. She looks up to spiritual leaders like Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Mairead believes that violence is never right and that there are always peaceful ways to solve problems. She wants to see a world where armies are abolished and replaced by unarmed peacekeepers.
Her Book: The Vision of Peace
Mairead Maguire wrote a book called The Vision of Peace: Faith and Hope in Northern Ireland. It was published in 2010. The book is a collection of her essays and letters. In it, she talks about how her faith connects to her peace work. She writes that "hope for the future depends on each of us taking non-violence into our hearts and minds." She believes that a peaceful world is very realistic and possible.
Awards and Honours
Mairead Maguire has received many awards for her peace work.
- In 1977, Yale University gave her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
- She also received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1977.
- In 1990, she was given the Pacem in Terris Award. This award is named after a letter from Pope John XXIII that called for peace among all nations. The award praised her efforts for peace in Northern Ireland and her global fight against violence. "Pacem in terris" means "Peace on Earth" in Latin.
- In 1992, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation honored her with the Distinguished Peace Leadership Award. This was for her strong commitment to justice and nonviolence.
- She also received honorary degrees from the College of New Rochelle (1978), Regis University (1998), and the University of Rhode Island (2000).
- In 2006, she received the Science and Peace Gold Medal for helping spread a culture of peace.
See also
- List of female Nobel laureates
- List of peace activists
- International Fellowship of Reconciliation
- PeaceJam
