Irish journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty dies aged 80

Renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80.

Her family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on women’s rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty wrote several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the city’s Connolly station.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill described her as a "towering figure" in journalism.

“Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word," she said.

"A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society,” she said.“She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.“Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.“A proud daughter of Derry, Nell’s wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.“

Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to McCafferty as a “fierce, fearless and fiery” campaigner who “suffered no fools”.

“If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it,” the Taoiseach said.

“Her passion and wrath was not scattergun – it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

“Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

“As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasn’t for warriors like Nell.

“In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasn’t afraid to enter every battle for gay and women’s rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

“Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.”

Deputy Irish premier Micheal Martin said he is “deeply saddened” at McCafferty’s death.

“Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner – the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and women’s rights,” the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

“In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

“She made a difference. Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.”

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as “a mould-breaker and establishment shaker”.

“She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could,” he said on X.

“An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.”

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is “deeply saddened”.

She described McCafferty as a “wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon”.

“It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends,” she posted on X.

In a piece published in the Irish Times earlier this year to mark McCafferty’s 80th birthday, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins hailed her “enduring courage” as a writer.

“Those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing,” he wrote.

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