Mairead Maguire (neé Máiread Corrigan) (born 27 January 1944) , also known as Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, was the co-founder, with Betty Williams of the Community of Peace People, an organization which attempts to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Northern Ireland Troubles, for which they were awarded the the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize. Máiread Corrigan became active with the peace movement after three children of her sister, Anne Maguire, were run over and killed by a car driven by Danny Lennon, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) man who was fatally shot by British troops while trying to make a getaway. Anne Maguire later committed suicide.Betty Williams had witnessed the event, and soon after the two co-founded "Women for Peace", which later became the "Community for Peace People". In 1981 she married Jackie Maguire, the widower of her sister Anne. She was imprisoned by the Israelis (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairead_Corrigan ).
Mairead Maguire on Israel’s Gaza Massacre (2009): “I lament every single life, but you can’t really make a comparison here. Israel has a war machine which is supported by the American government and the Palestinians have homemade rockets….We’re talking about David and Goliath... “The people of Gaza are not allowed cement, building materials; children have returned to schools with no pencils and no writing material: all of these things have been prohibited by the Israelis from being allowed into Gaza. We have to break the siege of Gaza that Israel is putting on because the children are suffering… “I am a pacifist. But when you make comparisons here, with the occupation, we’re not talking about an equal playing field.” [1].
[1]. Mairead Maguire, quoted by Travis Lupick, “Gaza shocks Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire”, Straight.com, 24 September 2009: http://www.straight.com/article-258796/gaza-shocks-nobel-laureate .