27 January 2005 Edition

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Marie Cushenan

Marie Cushenan with Martin Meehan and Martin McGuinness

Marie Cushenan with Martin Meehan and Martin McGuinness

It was with great sadness that republicans from South Antrim and South Derry learned of the death of Marie Cushenan (age 64) following a short illness on Monday 27 December.

A lifelong republican, Marie was the eldest of a family of eight children to Jimmy and and Sarah McErlain from Ballymaguigan in South Derry. From an early age, Marie gained a deep understanding of her Irish identity and history from both parents and spent considerable time with her grandmother Mary Corr from the Three Islands, Toome. Many old history books and documents collected by the Corr family over generations were passed down to Marie.

A keen Irish dancer and singer, Marie won numerous Ulster titles in both disciplines in her youth.

On 31 December 1960, the date of her 21st birthday, Marie married Paddy Cushenan from Ballymena, and they lived at a number of different addresses in Antrim, Ballymena and Toome before settling in Aldergrove near Crumlin Village from 1972 onwards.

Paddy and Marie, both nurses by profession, had four children, Eunan, Grellan, Bronagh and Donnard, and spent most of their working careers at Holywell Hospital near Antrim Town.

Following the civil rights campaign in 1969, Marie gave her active support to the Republican Movement in every way possible, especially when her two brothers Eugene, also recently deceased, and Ciarán were detained as POWs in the cages of Long Kesh between 1972 and 1977.

In a well documented incident in 1973, Marie's courageous, spontaneous and impulsive reaction to an incident on the South Armagh/Monaghan border saved the life of a wounded IRA Volunteer who was under fire from the British Army after driving through a checkpoint.

Marie and other members of her family were travelling north after visiting a relative in County Kilkenny when they encountered a vehicle drifting out of control. Quickly realising what was happening they surrounded the car of the wounded driver to prevent the British Army finishing him off in what would have been a summary execution. Marie then helped to lift the wounded man into her own car. A British soldier pointed a gun at her head and yelled that he would shoot her if she moved. Marie defied the death threat and promptly drove off, taking the wounded Volunteer to safety in County Monaghan.

During the Hunger Strike of 1981, Marie and her family attended many demonstrations around Toome, Belfast and South Derry. When Sinn Féin began contesting all elections from 1983 onwards she became part of a small but dedicated team of party activists in South Antrim. The death, however, of her husband Paddy in 1999 was a huge blow to Marie.

In recent years, the re-organisation of Sinn Féin in South Antrim provided an outlet through which Marie could express herself once again. With renewed enthusiasm she came out to canvass in the 2003 Assembly elections and last year's European elections and helped bring about the sale of a large number of National Draw tickets in the Crumlin area. On Monday 20 December, Marie attended a political briefing at the new Republican Centre at Gulladuff, South Derry. After returning home she became very ill during the night, an illness that sadly claimed her life a week later.

On behalf of the entire republican family, I offer sincere condolences to her children Eunan, Grellan, Bronagh and Donnard, her grandchildren and extended family circle. She will be greatly missed by her many friends and comrades.

I measc laochra na nGael a raibh sí.

BY GERARD MAGEE


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland