MARY ELMES (1908-2002), BA (1931 ) Saved the lives of at least 200 Jewish children during the Holocaust During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Mary set up and ran children’s hospitals, moving from site to site as Franco’s troops advanced. When it was no longer safe to stay, she followed the Spanish refugees over the border into France and found herself in another war – World War II. In 1942, Elmes repeatedly risked her life to save Jewish children from transportation to the gas chambers in eastern Europe by hiding them in the boot of her car and driving them to safe destinations. She aided many others by securing documents, which allowed them to escape through the undercover network in Vichy, France. In January 1943 Elmes was arrested on suspicion of aiding the escape of Jews and was imprisoned in Toulouse, later being moved to the notorious Fresnes Prison run by the Gestapo near Paris, where she spent six months. In 2015, she became the first and only Irish person honoured as Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel, in recognition of her work in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. MARY ROBINSON, LLB(1967), MA(1970), SC, LLD (hc)(1992), HFTCD Former President of Ireland With a career spanning law, politics and diplomacy over decades and across the globe, Dr Mary Robinson’s electoral success was the springboard to a lifetime devoted to being a voice for the vulnerable, both in Ireland and worldwide. The first woman elected as President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, Robinson has been credited with transforming the role with a presidency of inclusiveness, equality and peace building, and with creating an important dialogue at home and overseas about Ireland and the Irish Diaspora. As a barrister advocating human rights and women’s equality in the Irish and European Courts, an academic and as a member of the Irish Senate representing the Trinity College Dublin constituency from 1969-1989, Robinson’s work played a pivotal role in shaping modern Ireland. Mary is a founding member of The Elders, a group of global leaders who use their independence, collective experience and influence for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. Her work with the United Nations, Oxfam International, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the GAVI Alliance, The Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, and others, advocates good governance, a voice for the vulnerable in our world. Mary was the youngest law professor appointed in Trinity, returning to her alma mater in 1998 when she was elected Chancellor of the University – a post she held until 2019. VINCENT BARRY (1908-1975), ScD (hc)(1972) Humanitarian scientist who developed a cure for leprosy Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases and has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Dr Vincent Barry led a team of Trinity scientists tasked with finding a cure for tuberculosis in the 1940s and unexpectedly discovered one compound that proved effective against leprosy. Barry travelled to India and Zimbabwe visiting leper colonies and meeting these people fuelled his desire to help them. Trials began, and the drug, clofazimine, was adopted worldwide and has since helped to cure over 15 million people of leprosy. Barry and his team were awarded the 1980 UNESCO Science Prize for their work. In 2005 the World Health Organisation declared that leprosy had been effectively eradicated worldwide. The Leprosy Mission, founded by Irishman Wellesley Bailey in the 1870s, honoured Dr Barry in 2018 for what it describes as ‘the greatest Irish humanitarian achievement in history’.
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