Co-founder of Women's Aid and long-serving MEP Mary Banotti dies aged 84
Women's To Banotti House Pictured International At Nora Mary Owen And Mark Day 2024 Leinster
Long-serving MEP Mary Banotti, a grand-niece of Michael Collins, has died.
Leading condolences, Taoiseach Simon Harris described her as “a talented politician, a trailblazer and a joy to be around.” Ms Banotti served as an MEP for Dublin from 1984 to 2004 and was Fine Gael’s candidate in the 1997 presidential election.
She was also known for her campaigning work, especially for women.
She was the eldest of six from Clontarf in Dublin. Her political career followed her early life nursing in London, the United States, Canada and Kenya.
Ms Banotti was a former TV presenter and a co-founder of Women’s Aid, which opened Ireland’s first women’s refuge. She also served as chairperson of the Rutland Centre for Drug Abuse and Mr Harris said her work in healthcare and women’s rights was evident throughout her “committed and assiduous career” in the European Parliament.
Mr Harris also paid tribute to her focus on environmental issues, which she put 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.
Another area she broke new ground was in her work supporting parentally abducted children in the EU, the first person to hold the official role.
Mr Harris said: “Mary did so much with her life and 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 she was “extremely proud” of her family and proud to be a grandniece of Michael Collins.
Her sister, Nora Owen, previously held the position of deputy leader of Fine Gael.
“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,” the Taoiseach said, adding: “Mary Banotti did that, and then some.”
President Michael D Higgins also paid tribute.
“May I join with all of those who have paid tribute to the life, work and generous personality of the late Mary Banotti," he 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.”