'Boris Johnson was a disaster': Mary McAleese slams Brexit at Leitrim event

Former President Mary McAleese, a steadfast advocate for reconciliation and unity, delivered a powerful address at The Dock in Leitrim, sharply criticizing Brexit and its impact on decades of peace-building. In conversation with journalist Carole Coleman, she expressed deep concern over the unraveling of progress achieved under the Good Friday Agreement.

“Brexit was a disaster for the Good Friday Agreement,” she stated, adding, “Boris Johnson was a disaster, and so was Liz Truss. They didn’t understand it. They had no idea how fragile that agreement was, how every word mattered.”

She criticized the UK government’s handling of Brexit, particularly their lack of understanding of Northern Ireland’s delicate political balance.

"We had a militarised border and we had customs posts, and once we were in the European Union, particularly when the single market came, that all disappeared. The only time, the only way you knew you crossed the border was because Vodafone annoyed you with that ping. We only tell you that we're going to charge you more for being in a foreign country."

The question of Irish unification remains a key issue. While a border poll is not imminent, McAleese acknowledges that demographic and political shifts are making the discussion more relevant. "Partition was never meant to be permanent," she says, quoting Prince Philip. "It was always supposed to be about the reconciliation of the peoples of the island."

Her core message remains relevant today: love—real, practical, and persistent love—has the power to heal even the most toxic divisions. "We keep messing up," she says. "But actually, we can be healed and reconciled through love."

Growing up in Ardoyne in a predominantly Protestant area in Belfast, McAleese was exposed early to the divides that characterized Northern Ireland. Yet, her upbringing was anything but insular. Her father’s best friend was a Protestant minister who visited their home nightly, engaging in deep conversations over a drink. Meanwhile, her mother instilled in her a strong sense of social justice, sending her on errands to pay gas bills for struggling neighbors and involving her in community service projects. "I’d be absolutely embarrassed to the hilt," she recalls, "but you learned just how to do it."

Even as a child, McAleese was aware of the divisions in society, but she also saw examples of unity. The Redemptorist priests in Clonard Monastery, who played a crucial role in peace efforts, were a significant influence. "They were right on the peace line and Alec would just go and knock people’s doors and say hello," she says, referring to Father Alec Reid. "Even the most Christian of people wouldn’t go visiting prisoners because they didn’t want to be associated with IRA men or with loyalists. But he went, and he talked to everybody."

For McAleese, faith was not just a private belief but an active force for social change. She admired the Catholic Church’s strong commitment to social outreach, and she was deeply involved in organizations like St. Vincent de Paul and the Legion of Mary. "The Catholic Church, in fairness, had a very strong social outreach, social conscience," she states. However, her faith was never exclusionary. She engaged with Protestant communities and was actively involved in interfaith dialogue long before it became politically fashionable.

McAleese recounts how John Hume and Gerry Adams developed a relationship based on mutual respect, with Hume clearly being the mentor in their discussions. "It was clear to me who was the master and who was the student," she says. Adams, sensing that the IRA’s military campaign was at an impasse, was open to new strategies. Hume, with his vision of peaceful political engagement, helped shift the movement towards a democratic resolution. This painstaking peace process faced significant opposition. "John, in my view, was a saint," she says. "He was literally being savaged, and I mean devoured, for daring to talk to the IRA. But I knew that John Hume wasn’t going in and saying, ‘Oh Gerry, persuade me to violence.’ The whole conversation was the other way."

McAleese firmly believes in the power of love as a political tool. "Love is not a fuzzy, wuzzy thing. It’s hard, relentless work." This belief was put into action when she became President of Ireland. She and her husband, Martin, made a conscious effort to reach out to the Unionist community, inviting them to the presidential residence for tea and conversation. "It’s a wonder I’m not 20 stone weight. We ate for Ireland," she laughs. "But it wasn’t about cynically having, you know, ‘here’s my pet Protestant, God forbid.’ Rather, that we would build up friendships that people could trust. And that’s what we did."

One of the defining moments of McAleese’s presidency was Queen Elizabeth II’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011. The visit was a powerful symbol of reconciliation, and McAleese played a key role in making it happen. She had first discussed the idea with the Queen in 1995 and had spent years laying the groundwork for the right moment. "She told me she always wanted to come to Ireland," McAleese remembers. "Not because she had 25 horses trained there and never saw one of them run. But because she wanted to make a contribution to reconciliation. She really did."

When the Queen finally visited, she made history by speaking the cúpla focal ‘A Uachtaráin, agus a chairde’ —a simple but profound gesture of respect. "She set up a back channel to me," McAleese recalls, laughing. "I had suggested she might learn a few words, but I didn’t push it. Then she gets up and says five words in good Ulster Irish, and I thought, sweet! I know exactly who taught her to speak like that." McAleese describes the Queen’s use of Irish as "her gift to Ireland, a wonderfully healing thing."

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