Queen’s University Belfast Considers Proposal to Name Law Building After Mary McAleese

A primary building at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) may potentially be named in honor of former Irish President Mary McAleese. A proposal has been put forward to designate the university’s School of Law with Prof McAleese’s name. However, a university spokesperson issued a statement indicating that it currently has “no plans to name the Law Tower at the Lanyon Building after any individual.” The spokesperson further confirmed, “We can confirm a proposal originated by the Law School – but not commissioned by the university – has been developed but has not yet been submitted to the University Management Board for approval.” They added that “Any proposal brought forward will be subject to a rigorous and lengthy progress and will have to meet our naming policies and criteria which includes final approval by the University Senate.” The School of Law is situated in a tall structure known as the Main Site Tower, located behind Queen’s main Lanyon building. Prof McAleese, who was born in Belfast, served two terms as President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She graduated from the School of Law at QUB in 1973 and subsequently became QUB’s first female pro vice chancellor, a significant leadership position within the university. The suggestion to name the tower after Prof McAleese followed a consultation process with staff members at the School of Law. In 2013, a bridge spanning the M1 motorway near Drogheda was renamed the Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge. The university has an established procedure for “honour[ing] individuals for achievement or distinction” by naming buildings after them. Several other structures on its campus already bear the names of individuals. The university’s policy states: “Names of current or former staff, students or lay-members of the university should not normally be used to name buildings, facilities, posts, or programmes, unless this is related to exceptional service or achievement.” Nevertheless, the university has previously established two senior academic positions named after Prof McAleese and former first minister, Lord Trimble. The Mary McAleese chair in Connected Leadership is scheduled to be based in the university’s business school. The David Trimble chair in Leadership and Organisational Transformation will also be located within the same school. Similar to Prof McAleese, Lord Trimble was an alumnus of the School of Law and later served as a law lecturer at the university. After transitioning from academia to politics, he led the Ulster Unionist Party between 1995 and 2005 and played a pivotal role in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement. For this, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside SDLP leader John Hume. He became the inaugural first minister of the new Northern Ireland Executive, which was established as part of the Agreement. He later served in the House of Lords and passed away in 2022 at the age of 77. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.