Ireland's first female Major General insisted her gender was never an issue as she starts her latest promotion.
Starting as an infantry officer almost 40 years ago, Maureen O’Brien has become the first woman to hold a number of ranks here and abroad on UN peacekeeping duties.
She told the Irish Mirror her sex has not impeded her as she prepares to take up the role of deputy military advisor at the United Nations in New York – a first for an Irish officer.
The Galway woman said: “I don’t allow it to be taken into account.
“So I don’t operate like that and allow these ideas and thoughts to get into my head.
“They’re somebody else’s problem, not my problem.
“We’re very lucky in the Irish Defence Forces, there’s no restrictions on any appointments that we hold.
“We can do anything and that has benefitted us overseas as well.”
Gen O’Brien has served on seven missions with the UN, including East Timor and Chad, where she became the first female Deputy Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion there in 2010.
An inspiration to serving women, Gen O’Brien was also the first female Battalion Commander in Ireland, the first female Lieutenant Colonel, the first female Brigadier General and was congratulated by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny when promoted to Colonel.
She recently finished a tour as Deputy Force Commander with the UN in the Syrian Golan Heights.
Gen O’Brien is keen to encourage more women to join the Defence Forces, which is around 7% female.
She said: “If you can’t see, you can’t be it.
“I’m standing here today in front of the men and women of the Defence Forces to say – you can be it.
“You just have to work. My life in the Defence
Forces has been a series of challenges so this is just one more.”
She leaves for New York at the end of June and will be one of two advisors to the UN Secretary General.
