‘Her energy was boundless’ – President Higgins pays tribute to former MEP Mary Banotti following death aged 84

Ms Banotti (84) served as an MEP for Dublin from 1984 to 2004 and was also a candidate for the party in the 1997 presidential election.

From Clontarf in Dublin, Ms Banotti was a nurse in the US, London, Canada and Kenya before she began her career in politics.

She was also a co-founder of Women’s Aid and served as chairperson of the Rutland Centre for Drug Abuse.

“May I join with all of those who have paid tribute to the life, work and generous personality of the late Mary Banotti,” President Higgins said.

“Mary Banotti made a very significant contribution to Irish life, both in her 20 years of service to the people of Dublin as a Member of the European Parliament, and through the many important causes which she played such an active role in supporting over the course of her life.

“I had the privilege of personally knowing Mary over a number of decades and had the deepest respect for her principled positions on these important issues.

“Among those many noteworthy contributions and achievements were those she made as a co-founder of Women’s Aid, as chairperson of the Rutland Centre for Drug Abuse, in combating child abduction and in support of the environment.

“May I extend my deepest sympathies to Mary’s daughter Tania, to her sister Nora Owen and to all of her extended family, and to her many colleagues and friends across Ireland, Europe and beyond.”

In his tribute, Taoiseach Simon Harris described Ms Banotti as a “trailblazer” who put environmental issues on the European agenda.

“Mary was a talented politician, a trailblazer and a joy to be around. She was smart, wise and funny,” Taoiseach Simon Harris said.

“Her work in healthcare and women’s rights was evident throughout her committed and assiduous career in the European Parliament.

“She also focused in on and put environmental issues on the European agenda long before it was the widespread thing to do and was named one of the top 10 environmental legislators in Europe,” Mr Harris added.

The Taoiseach said Ms Banotti had “so much to be proud of, but she was humble”.

“Her energy was boundless and she always had a nugget of wise political insight or a witty observation,” he said.

The eldest of six children, Ms Banotti had previously written about the hard work her mother had done to put her children through education.

“Mary wrote once that her mother grafted hard to put her six children through education, that she was highly ambitious for them and that she wanted her children to come out of the top drawer and make something of themselves. Mary Banotti did that, and then some,” the Taoiseach said.

Ms Banotti was the grandniece of Michael Collins and her sister Nora Owen became the deputy leader of Fine Gael in 1993.

“Mary was extremely proud of her family. She was proud to be a grandniece of Michael Collins and proud to see her sister, Nora Owen, become deputy leader of Fine Gael.

“She was enormously proud of her daughter Tania and my heartfelt thoughts are with Tania, Nora and wider family,” Mr Harris said.