Born in 1990

Mary Robinson was elected President of Ireland — the first woman to hold the office, a constitutional lawyer and social liberal who had campaigned on issues the establishment found uncomfortable. Her election was a genuine signal of change. The World Cup in Italy captivated the nation: Jack Charlton's Ireland reached the quarter-finals, and the scenes of celebration in Dublin and across the country were unlike anything seen since the Pope's visit.

Ireland was discovering a new kind of joy.