Republican News · Thursday 7 February 2002

Sadie Magill

Sadie Magill, who died at her Turf Lodge home on Tuesday 22 January after a year-long illness, was one of Ireland's most committed and courageous daughters. Sadie died peacefully amidst the warmth of her loving family circle - the way she wanted it to be. On behalf of the republican family, I would like to extend our deep-felt sympathy to Sadie's two daughters, Síle and Anne, and her four sons, Thomas, Sean, Terry and Martin.

Our thoughts and condolences are also with her 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom she individually treasured and treated as special individuals in their own right.

Sadie Magill was born in 1925 to Sean and Sarah Malone from Rock Street off the Falls Road. Sadie inherited her republicanism from her parents. Her father was a very active IRB member and her mother worked with James Connolly and was Ena Connolly's best friend.

Sadie joined Cumann na gCailiní at an early age and during the 1940's campaign joined Cumann na mBan and was, according to her comrades, extremely active and dedicated. It was during this campaign that Sadie met her husband to be and republican stalwart, Tom Magill. The pair were married in 1946, shortly after Tom's release from a long stint in a British prison.

The Magills set up home in Andersonstown Crescent. Their children were born and then, during the '50s campaign Tom was interned. Sadie's life took on an all too familiar pattern of prison visits while struggling to bring up children in the midst of a climate that was hostile towards anything or anyone that was republican. Still, she continued with her Cumann na mBan responsibilities.

The family relate a story about the extent of their parents' commitment to republicanism when soon after Tom's release their parents put the house up for sale to raise funds to help towards the escape of a republican prisoner from an English jail, Dick Timmons.

The escape was successful. The family then moved into rooms in their grandmother's shop in Fallswater Street, where again the house had an open door for republicans. Indeed, the family recall that there was a secret room where all their various "uncles" would hide during raids by the notorious "B" Specials. Tom by then was on the run and life for Sadie was hard.

All of us know the times Sadie lived through after that: having her sons Terry, Thomas and Sean imprisoned, British violence escalating on the streets, homes raided on a regular basis and an escalating resistance to it. Sadie would be on the streets in the middle of the worst of it and when she wasn't she would be at home worrying and praying for the young men and women.

When Tom died on 28 February 1986, Sadie lost her best friend, we lost a key activist in the struggle, a man who, with Seamus Twomey, had reorganised the IRA.

Sadie will be remembered for many things by us all individually but for me and other women of whatever era she will be regarded as a doer, someone who inspired us and who above all, could be depended upon no matter what the situation. She was a close friend of Marie Drumm's and along with her she led women from Turf Lodge and elsewhere to a march on the Falls Road in 1970, breaking the British Army's military curfew on the area. She was in the thick of things during the darkest days of house raids, protests, rallies and all the prison campaigns.

She loved and took care of our prisoners, even when she had little herself. The family recall watching food parcels being sent up to the jails while they had sardine sandwiches! Sadie broke her heart over the death of each of the hunger strikers but particularly Big Kieran Doc, her big son as affectionately called him.

other big son of hers was 'Big Gerry'. Sadie took enormous pride in ratifying his nomination papers for the first Westminster election of 1983 and then for every election since, the latest being the Assembly elections.

Like everyone who knew Sadie, my heart is sore and heavy at her loss. I was 17 when I met Sadie by chance in Turf Lodge. I'd never been to the Magill house so when I was sent there one day I couldn't find the house and the area was heaving with Brits. I spotted what I considered naïvely to be a wee woman carrying messages and went over to ask for directions. She scrutinised me with those eyes of hers before she indicated the way but never let on she lived at that house. Eventually she dandered up the path and laughed at me sweating outside the door, trying to look normal. She was a rascal like that. We hit it off right away and never looked back. She was always there providing support, craic and above all, encouragement and inspiration.

Sadie was, for me and for countless other republicans, a cornerstone of this struggle. The lives which Sadie and Tom led have provided us with a solid foundation on which to build a better future for all our people. That is the legacy which they and so many other republicans have given us. It is our responsibility to finish the task which they knew was deliverable and inevitable: nation reunification.

I would also like to thank the Magill family and acknowledge the many sacrifices you have also made over the years. Having both parents involved has taken its own toll on your family life.

Ar taobh laochra na nGael a bhfuil sí.

BY CHRISSIE McAULEY.