Máire Whelan

Máire R. Whelan SC (born 1961 or 1962^[1]) is an Irish barrister and senior counsel who was appointed to the post of Attorney General on 9 March 2011 by President Mary McAleese on the nomination of the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.^[2] She is the first woman to hold this position in Ireland.^[1]

Whelan studied politics and sociology at University College Galway, before switching to law,^[1] and gained a master's degree from the University of London.^[3] She was called to the bar in 1985, and was appointed as senior counsel in 2005.^[3] She is a co-author of National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) Act 2009: A Reference Guide.^[4] She has served as financial secretary of the Labour Party, which is the junior member of the 2011 coalition government formed with Fine Gael.^[5] Her appointment as Attorney General caused some surprise amongst lawyers because she had a relatively low profile, owing to practising in areas of law where many cases are heard in camera.^[6] Whelan, from Kinvara, County Galway, is married to barrister Bernard McCabe. They have one child and live in Dublin.^[1][4]

References

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1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cullen, Paul (10 March 2011). "First female Attorney General a 'smart and able advocate'". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 March 2011. 
2. 1 2 3 4 "As It Happened - First day of 31st Dáil". RTÉ News. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011. 
3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Barrister's database". Bar Council of Ireland. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2011. 
4. 1 2 3 4 5 McDonald, Dearbhail (10 March 2011). "Top lawyers welcome appointment of first ever female AG". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 March 2011. 
5. ↑ Collins, Stephen; McGee, Harry (8 March 2011). "Labour set for AG role as Fine Gael takes 10 ministries". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 March 2011. 
6. 1 2 3 4 McDonald, Dearbhail (11 March 2011). "Whelan gets AG job over stellar FG law line-up". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 

Works

• Whelan, Máire R.; Kennedy, Mark; O Raghallaigh, Feargus (4 March 2011). National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) Act 2009: A Reference Guide. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7171-4840-0.