Tipperary naval officer Marie Gleeson to speak at the World Meeting of Families

Cashel woman Lieutenant Commander Marie Gleeson will talk at the World Families Meeting in Dublin this weekend.

Daughter of Noel Gleeson and Una Clancy, Dualla Road, she's the first Cashel woman to captain an Irish naval vessel.

Lieutenant Commander Marie Gleeson made naval history when she took command of the LÉ Aoife, one-woman commander to another, in 2013.

She joined the Navy aged 19 in 1998, just three years after women were first admitted joining the ranks of the female officers.

Having served on a UN mission in Chad, she was second in command of LÉ Niamh when the vessel was involved in the largest drugs haul in Irish history.

During her time in the Navy she has received awards and gained degrees along the way, helping to train cadets and lecturing at the National Maritime College. She is currently Human Resources officer with the Irish Navy which now has proportionally more female captains than any other navy in Europe.