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Mary Manning

Born

Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland

Genre

History, Memoir, Nonfiction

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A lifelong reader, Mary started with Enid Blyton, progressing to Jane Austen. After school, she took an ANCO – (now FAS,) course in office work, then spent 10 months working in an office in Jordan Street. She went from there to Dunnes Stores.

In 1984, obeying a union directive, Mary refused to register the sale of South African grapefruit, and was suspended. Agreeing that she’d been right to stand up to apartheid, nine co-workers walked out in support, and the dispute escalated into a mass movement.

“I hadn’t been political, but the suspension pushed me into public speaking.”

Unable to secure another job, in 1988, Mary emigrated to Australia staying there for five years, working in offices until her name had been forgotten by potential employe ...more