"I Woke Every Morning Full Of Joy": McAleese On Her 14 Years In The Aras

She will be remembered as one of Ireland's best presidents, and leaves the office after 14 years enjoying huge approval ratings and the satisfaction of a job well done.

On her final day in office last Thursday, Mary McAleese chose the opening of a homeless shelter in Dublin as her last official duty.

It was the sort of day-to-day engagement she had performed throughout her term, often without garnering any particular attention.

"I woke up every morning full of joy," she told reporters.

"I loved every day of the job. I was energized by it, by the people I met, because that is the source of the energy. It's the pride that you have."

She said the hard work that had been the hallmark of the success of the peace process should now be put into building a sustainable prosperity in Ireland.

She admitted it was a sad occasion for her to be stepping down as president.

"If you give me two seconds, I'll be in floods of tears, but I don't want to do that in public!" she smiled.

And asked if she had any advice for the new president, she simple said: "Oh just to enjoy it. Enjoy being president... He's a very lucky person, as I was."

Mrs McAleese and her husband Martin worked tirelessly for the last 14 years, particularly at building bridges in the divided city of Belfast where she was born.

Her husband Martin reached out to loyalists in particular in an effort to secure the peace.

This culminated in the successful visit to Ireland of the Queen earlier this year - the first from a monarch since Ireland's independence.

"I just want to say to all my friends and family in Northern Ireland, it's been one of the greatest joys of my life these 14 years to see the huge release into civic society and the body politic in Northern Ireland of so much, what I would call, repressed friendship," she said.

"And to see it now, see the out-workings of the Good Friday Agreement, to see peace on the streets, it's a joy. I know that it's a work in progress, and just to wish people the best as they bring it to a work well concluded."

Her presidency was notable for many other events too.

She pioneered using the role of the Presidency to open doors for trade delegations overseas, particularly in Asia.

And she also spoke for the nation with remarkable empathy, including for example, after the 9/11 attacks on the USA, when without any script or preparation she caught the public mood describing it as "a crime against the very foundations of all our humanity and our hearts".

Martin McAleese is now a Senator, having been appointed earlier this year by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Mary McAleese is expected to return to law studies, with rumors that she will undertake research in Canon law in Rome.