Anne Marie McAleese: Aideen has surely helped nuture a true legacy of hope

There are people that you meet in life who linger in your mind long after the event.

Sometimes it’s an instant connection, a feeling of inspiration or quite simply a spring in your step after a conversation with someone who from that moment becomes unforgettable.

As a young radio presenter more than three decades ago, this is exactly what happened when I met a woman living in Fermanagh whose sheer dynamism, love of life and immense talent for getting things done made an impact that has stood the test of time.

Born in Londonderry, reared in Strabane, and a Fermanagh resident for the past 35 years, Aideen McGinley has a CV that bears out her remarkable skills.

We first chatted in her capacity as Director of Development with Fermanagh District Council back in the early 1990s.

The eldest of five children, her father was from Omagh, and her mother a native of Dublin.

At school, she admits to a single-mindedness that has stood her in good stead throughout her professional life.

Determined to complete the science-based A-Levels of her choice in 1971, this meant becoming the only girl at the all-boys St. Colman’s High School in Strabane.

“I went to the Convent of Mercy in Strabane, but I wanted to do A-Level biology, which the nuns felt young ladies didn’t need to do.

“My mother arranged for me to go to St. Colman’s. I was the only girl, and surrounded by 750 boys!

“Little did I know then that one of them would become my husband.

“But the whole experience served me very well throughout my career when I often found myself in male-dominated environments.”

Aideen was quick to point out that her mother was a major influence in her life.

“She was a woman ahead of her time, and in the 1970s was working with Women’s Aid, a Travellers’ welfare group, and a Civil Rights organisation.

“She was a poet, a superb cook, a keen gardener, and a huge champion of women in all spheres of life. She didn’t believe in obstacles.”

Sadly, on the day she got her A-level results, her mother died.

As the eldest of five, she decided to shelve her plans and stay at home, but her father had other ideas, and six weeks later she began a degree in Environmental Science in the faculty of Civil Engineering at Salford university near Manchester.

Aideen’s father was a vet, and so well-known that a letter from Australia addressed with the simple missive, ‘Joe Slevin the Vet, Ireland’, dropped through the Slevin letterbox within only a week.

She and her siblings grew up James Herriot-style, never knowing what animal would be in the house next.

“He was a great example to us all, raising us with generosity, love and instilling a strong work ethic, and especially the importance of making a difference to others.”

Her first job after university in 1976 was in the new role of Community Service Officer with Fermanagh District Council.

Here she met council leader Gerry Burns, who became an inspirational and wise mentor throughout her career.

In the early days, his advice was simply to get out and get to know the county.

For nine months she did just that before moving back to Strabane, where she spent the next 13 years raising her family.

But Fermanagh and its people had cast their spell, and she made a permanent move to Enniskillen in 1989.

She became Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council when Gerry ,retired and after the Good Friday Agreement moved to the post of Permanent Secretary in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, and subsequently the Department of Employment and Learning.

She was later seconded as Chief Executive Officer to ILEX, the urban regeneration company for Londonderry, and with the City of Culture and Peace Bridge projects she accumulated more than 37 years working in local and central government.

In a stellar public sector career, she has worked with a range of inspiring people including politicians and civil servants from every walk of life across the community.

She was a trustee for BBC Northern Ireland and showing no signs of slowing down, is currently a trustee of the National Trust, a Non-Executive Director in the Western Health and Social Services Trust, a trustee of Fermanagh Trust, and a volunteer with Connect Fermanagh.

As a voluntary Director of the Aisling Centre on Darling Street in Enniskillen for the past 13 years, she feels particularly privileged to organise the annual Hope, Healing and Growth event.

“I am always humbled by the challenges that so many people face with such positivity and courage, and this year was no exception.

“They are inspirational in a time where we all need to keep the flame of hope alive.”

Founded by Sister Edel Bannon more than 30 years ago, initially there was no strategic plan, as such.

The idea was a simple one – to reach out and help people in their time of need in the firm belief that this would literally provide hope and healing for families and the community.

The notion of counselling was a fairly new thing at that particular time, with very little provision of services, and perhaps even a stigma attached to the idea of seeking help for mental health issues.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the Aisling Centre is located on Darling Street in Enniskillen, and that ‘Aisling’ means ‘dream’ in Irish.

With one in five people in Northern Ireland suffering from mental health issues, and only a small per cent of the health budget dedicated to the provision of services, this represents the worst record in the United Kingdom, and reinforces why the Aisling Centre has become a lifeline.

“A small seedling has sprouted into a strong and sturdy plant with roots that are deep.

“It has become a vital service open to everyone across our community.

“People can walk through the door and receive the help they need.

“Last year, more than 700 people availed of our services.”

In 2020, the Aisling Centre received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for their work in promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being.

As the highest award a voluntary group can be given, the Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, Lord Brookeborough, presented the honour, and two volunteers from the centre attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May, 2021.

Aideen was awarded an OBE in The Queen’s Millennium Honours. She is also an honorary doctorate at University of Ulster, an honorary member of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects, and was given the Heart for Habitat for Humanity Award in 2018.

Accolades aside, she maintains that her biggest achievement is her three children: Laura, Graeme and Connor, who live in Irvinestown, Boston and Glasgow respectively.

She is especially proud of her ten grandchildren, who range in age from four months to 18 years old.

The youngest was born on the day that the oldest started a civil engineering degree at Queen’s University.

In between her various commitments, she loves yoga, reading, gardening, travel and walking, particularly at Lough Navar in her beloved Fermanagh, and on Silver Strand Beach, Malin Beg, at the tip of the Slieve League Peninsula, near Glencolmcille in Donegal.

Aideen’s mantra in life is a variation of American writer and author Bessie Anderson Stanley’s famous quote.

“Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of people and the love of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who never lacked appreciation of the earth's beauty and always looked for the best in others and gave the best of themselves.”

This is a woman who epitomises those sentiments in every aspect of her life; whose dedication, endless energy and talent has touched countless lives, and whose legacy in all things will surely be hope, healing and selflessness.

Anne Marie McAleese is a broadcaster, writer and author who considers Fermanagh as one of her favourite places. You can listen to her every Saturday morning on BBC Radio Ulster’s, ‘Your Place and Mine’, 8am-9am.