(Picture) Sr Sarah Clarke

THE TWO outstanding characteristics of the late Sister Sarah Clarke (82) who died in London on February 4 were her thirst for justice and her persistence in the pursuit of it. Her published autobiography No Faith in the System (Mercier, 1995) makes clear her uncompromising stand in this regard.
Republicans salute her passing as a fearless radical who espoused the cause of ordinary working people like the Irish emigrants in England and especially the cause of Irish prisoners there.

The Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four, the Maguire family and Judith Ward – all wrongfully sentenced to long years of imprisonment – their families and friends as well as the many Irish political prisoners and their relatives will remember gratefully her Herculean efforts on their behalf.

CABHAIR (the Irish Republican Prisoners Dependents Fund) honoured her at their annual dinner in Dublin in 1993 although she was unable to be present due to a serious motor accident at that time.

Here was a member of a religious order – La Sainte Union – who started out as a teacher in Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone and went on to devote the last 30 years of her dedicated life to the welfare of the poor, the oppressed and the powerless.

This Irish nun from Shannonbridge, near Eyrecourt, Co Galway lived her Christianity and had the courage to speak out and act at a time when so many liberal voices were silenced.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam calma dílis.

Contents

NEWS FROM SAOIRSE (freedom). The Voice of the Irish Republican Movement. Republican Sinn Féin http://rsf.ie 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1 229 Falls Road, Belfast

Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom February 11, 2002  Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie.