She was called to the bar in 1967 and entered politics in 1969, when she became a member of the Irish Senate. In 1990 she became Ireland’s first woman President. She was noted for her platform of religious toleration and for her liberal attitude to abortion, divorce, and homosexuality. From 1997 to 2002 she was UN Commissioner for Human Rights, and since 2007 she has been an active member of The Elders.