Josephine Hayden Mná an IRA Episode 2 TG4 Thursday 12th January 10:30PM
Born in County Waterford, Josephine Hayden became aware of a curious fact when she worked in a hotel for the summer as a young girl. She noticed that a large influx of people arrived around the time of the 12th July and she discovered that they came South to avoid the Orangemen’s marches. This piqued her interest and made her question what life was like for Catholics in the North. Over the years, what began as sympathy for the people she met then hardened into direct involvement in the armed movement towards a united Ireland.
She served four-and-a-half years in Limerick prison for transporting arms and ammunition. She refused to support the peace process while in jail and despite suffering two heart attacks while imprisoned, did not take early release under the Good Friday Agreement as many other prisoners did. She has become a symbol of opposition to the Agreement.
Now the general secretary of Republican Sinn Féin, she has remained a hard-line Republican who believes the “armed struggle” is not over yet and that until Ireland is united the country will never progress.
Mná an IRA features Josephine Hayden
She served four-and-a-half years in Limerick prison for transporting arms and ammunition. She refused to support the peace process while in jail and despite suffering two heart attacks while imprisoned, did not take early release under the Good Friday Agreement as many other prisoners did. She has become a symbol of opposition to the Agreement.
Now the general secretary of Republican Sinn Féin, she has remained a hard-line Republican who believes the “armed struggle” is not over yet and that until Ireland is united the country will never progress.