Mary Patricia McAleese ; (; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish politician who served as the eighth President of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is a Catholic academic and author and holds a licentiate and doctorate in Canon law. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, having received the nomination of Fianna Fáil. She succeeded Mary Robinson, making her the second female president of Ireland, and the first woman in the world to succeed another woman as president. She nominated herself for re-election in 2004 and was returned unopposed for a second term. McAleese is the first president of Ireland to have come from either Northern Ireland or Ulster.