Background
Born as Margaret Dudley, her father was James John Dudley.
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Rita Childers
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She formerly worked as a press attaché in the British Embassy in Dublin. The couple"s mixed marriage (Erskine Hamilton Childers was an Anglican, she a Roman Catholic) caused some controversy. The then Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid tried to discourage them from marrying.
They eventually opted to marry in Paris.
(McQuaid reportedly later apologised to the couple for his behaviour)
Erskine was elected President of Ireland in June 1973. An acclaimed president, the popular Childers died suddenly in November 1974.
Ó Dálaigh was eventually elected unopposed as the joint nominee of the government and main opposition parties. (See: Irish presidential election, 1974)
Having left Áras an Uachtaráin (the presidential residence) Mrs Childers became an outspoken critic both of her late husband"s former colleagues in Fianna Fáil, and of the office of president
Following the resignation of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh as president in October 1976, Mrs Childers called for the office"s suspension.
Rita and Erskine Childers" daughter, Nessa, entered politics in 2004 when she was elected as a councillor on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the Green Party.
Politics
The political parties secretly agreed a deal to make Mrs Childers the new president However, a political dispute in which a partially deaf Fine Gael minister in the National Coalition government, Tom O"Donnell, misheard a journalist"s question about Mrs Childers and confirmed that she would be the next president led the plan to collapse. Her late husband"s political party, Fianna Fáil, withdrew its support for her and instead proposed former Chief Justice Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh.
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Born
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Died
March 9, 2010 (aged 95) -
Religion
Roman Catholic -
Political Party
National Coalition