Mary Patricia McAleese (born 27 June 1951) was the eighth President of the Republic of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was first elected president in 1997 and was re-elected to another seven years in 2004 through 2011. She was ranked the 55th most powerful woman in the world on a list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, despite the ceremonial nature of the presidency.