Former President Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese have been presented with the Tipperary International Peace award at a ceremony in Co Tipperary.
Mrs McAleese was praised for putting reconciliation at the centre of her Presidency and her husband was honoured as her partner in the complex business of building bridges between communities in the North and South and in the UK.
The visit of Queen Elizabeth II was acknowledged as groundbreaking and the culmination of Mrs McAleese’s Presidency.
Mrs McAleese said she and her husband were enormously privileged to accept the award and urged everyone to nurture and build on the wonderful gift of peace.
Mr McAleese said that working for peace was not just for specialists but the personal responsibility of all.
