Holland, Mary (1935–2004)

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Holland, Mary (1935–2004)

English journalist and broadcaster. Born June 19, 1935, in Dover, England; died of scleroderma, June 7, 2004; dau. of an engineer who worked in Malaysia (both parents were Irish); attended King's College, London; m. Ronald Higgins (British diplomat, div.); m. Eamonn McCann (revolutionary); children: (2nd m.) Kitty and Luke.

One of the outstanding journalists of her time, joined the staff of the Observer (1964) and rose to fashion editor; after begging for "real" reporting, was sent to cover the political violence in Northern Ireland (1968); became known for her fairness and honesty, giving authentic coverage to the problems in Ulster, principally for the Observer; campaigned for the next 30 years for a new order in Ireland; also wrote a column for the Irish Times; was one of the 3 founding presenters of the LWT current affairs program "Weekend World" (1972–88); also often campaigned to liberalize Ireland's abortion laws.

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