Mary McAleese was Ireland's second female president, a role she held for 14 years.
A Roman Catholic growing up in the heart of sectarian violence in Belfast, she was also one of the first women in the North to practise law.
She has now written her autobiography, Here's The Story: A Memoir.
She joined us on The Last Word to talk about her experience of the Troubles, the evolving relationship between North and South, and challenging Pope John Paul II on sexism.
