Tributes have been paid to the activist and artist Margaretta D’Arcy who died at the age of 91 on Sunday.
A long-time anti-war protester, she was involved with the Greenham Common campaign, a British anti-nuclear movement which opposed bringing cruise missiles into Europe, and the Committee of 100 group, a British anti-war campaign set up by philosopher Bertrand Russell and others.
D’Arcy supported the Shell to Sea campaign in Co Mayo and was involved in the protests at Shannon Airport in 2014 over the opposition to the US military’s use of the airport. She was found guilty of illegal incursion on a runway and received a suspended three-month sentence.
She refused to sign a bond to uphold the law and stay away from unauthorised zones at Shannon Airport, her sentence was reactivated and she served 9½ weeks at Limerick Prison and the Dóchas Centre at Mountjoy Prison.
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She wrote a number of books including Tell Them Everything, Ireland’s Guantánamo Granny and Awkward Corners, and plays such as Women’s Voices from West of Ireland and Prison-voice of Countess Markievicz.
Born in London, she was raised in Ireland. In 1957, she married John Arden, a playwright and novelist, who died in 2012.
D’Arcy and Arden lived in Galway and she was a member of the Aosdána, the Irish academy of artists.
In 2024, she was one of the oldest candidates to run in the local elections for Galway City Council as an independent candidate.
She told The Irish Times at the time, that she felt it was her year to put her “hat in the ring” after years of activism.
Her campaign slogan was “mad, bad and dangerous”.
D’Arcy had been approached to run by Sentient Rights Ireland, which advocates for animal rights, human rights and the environment.
At first she said no, but after reading Paul Gillespie’s article titled “Overworked, older and mostly male: Ireland has Europe’s weakest local government” in The Irish Times she changed her mind and said: “I’ll do my bit for women and diversity,” she explained.
[ Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny by Margaretta D’Arcy: Innocence in pursuit of sanityOpens in new window ]
President Catherine Connolly paid tribute, describing D’Arcy as “a woman of extraordinary conviction, an actor, playwright, filmmaker and writer who brought a radical honesty to her work”.
“Margaretta’s sad passing marks the loss of a singular voice in Irish cultural and civic life. She will be deeply missed by all those who were fortunate to have known her.”
Until last month, D’Arcy was a regular presence at the monthly Shannonwatch Peace Vigil at the airport entrance and a few weeks ago, she was distributing leaflets in favour of the Triple Lock, said the Galway Alliance Against War group in a statement on her death.
“We in the Galway Alliance Against War feel privileged to have had Margaretta in our ranks for so many years,” the statement said.
“She stands as an outstanding example of a life fully and purposefully lived, dedicated to a future free from wars of profit and power, and to a world that cherishes all its children equally.
“Margaretta’s death is a great loss to our movement. Our deepest sympathy goes to her family and friends.”
Reacting to the news on social media, Sinéad Gibney TD, a former chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said she was “deeply saddening to hear of the passing of Margaretta D’Arcy today”.
“Margaretta always fearlessly and unapologetically stood up for peace and justice in this world. Her voice will be dearly missed.”
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, meanwhile, said D’Arcy was D’Arcy was a “fierce, fearless artist and anti-war activist. She was a strong advocate for Palestinians, an early signatory to our Irish Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel and a tireless campaigner against the US military use of Shannon Airport.”
Chair of the Arts Council, Maura McGrath, said: “Margaretta D’Arcy’s creative work is characterised by her dedication to her craft and diversity of form. Bold and uncompromising, D’Arcy possessed a relentless energy and curiosity. She leaves behind a rich artistic legacy which includes memoirs, essays, plays and film. Perhaps best known for her frank and fearless memoir Tell Them Everything, D’Arcy will no doubt be read and admired for generations to come.”
