mˈɛɹ mək ætˈɪɹ wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn nˈuːɹi, kˈaʊnti dˈaʊn, tʊ ɐ stˈɔːntʃli ˈaɪɹɪʃ ɹᵻpˈʌblɪkən mək ætˈɪɹ fˈæmɪli, wˌɛɹ ʃiː bɪkˌeɪm ðɪ ˈɛldɪst ʌv fˈoːɹ sˈɪblɪŋz.
Máire McAteer was born in Newry, County Down, to a staunchly Irish republican McAteer family, where she became the eldest of four siblings.