In 2003 a portrait of one of Queen’s most eminent alumni was unveiled in the
University’s Great Hall.
The painting of President Mary McAleese takes pride of place on the oak-panelled walls
of the University’s main banqueting hall, alongside generations of distinguished
academics and vice-chancellors.
President McAleese graduated from Queen’s in 1973 and was called to the Northern
Ireland Bar the following year. She spent some years as Professor of Criminal Law at
Trinity College Dublin, and returned to her alma mater in 1987 to become Director of the
Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994 she became the first female Pro-ViceChancellor of Queen’s.
Donated to the University by Queen’s graduates Professor Denis Moloney and Dr Maria
Moloney, the portrait recognises President McAleese’s significant role in the history of
Ireland and her contribution to the University.
The event was attended by leading figures from the legal profession and the business
community.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir George Bain said: “I am delighted to welcome
President McAleese back to Queen’s where she was both a student and a senior
member of staff. It is entirely fitting that her portrait should grace the walls of the Great
Hall, the heart of the University, where it can be seen on a daily basis by staff, students
and guests.”
The artist
The painting is by Carol Graham, one of the leading portrait painters in the north of
Ireland, who also painted former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. This was the
second portrait by the artist to hang in the Great Hall, the first being of the eminent
surgeon Sir Ian Fraser.