This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Helen Andrews. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 16 September 1920, Ireland
Died: 11 July 1996
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: NA
Bolton, Mary (1920–96), counsellor, was born 16 September 1920 in Co. Donegal. An orphan, she was adopted by a farming couple in Co. Tyrone. As a young woman she settled in London, where she became an alcoholic. Recovering from her addiction as a result of treatment under Dr Max Glatt, she began working with alcoholics, settled in Dublin, and was a founder member of the Rutland Centre for the treatment of addiction (1978), and founder of Narcotics Anonymous in Ireland (1983). Academically untrained, she read widely, had an encylopaedic knowledge of psychoanalytic theory, and was described in her Sunday Tribune obituary as one of the most influential individuals in the development of psychotherapy in Ireland. In 1987 she retired and settled in Co. Tyrone. She died 11 July 1996 at Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and was buried in the Newtownstewart cemetery, Co. Tyrone.