Nell McCafferty mural unveiled in Derry's Bogside

A mural has been unveiled in Derry's Bogside honouring the late Nell McCafferty - journalist and feminist.

Among those who paid tribute to 'Our Nell' as she was affectionately known at the event on Saturday afternoon, International Women's Day, was Michael D Higgins Uachtarán na hÉireann.

President Higgins' messsage was read by community activist, Goretti Horgan. 

He bagan by sending his best wishes to all those gathered today to celebrate the life and legacy of Nell McCafferty, who he described as "a woman of extraordinary courage, intellect, and humanity". 

"As you unveil this mural, so fittingly placed near her family home in the Bogside, you do so not only in tribute to Nell's immense contributions, but also in recognition of the continuing relevance of her work and the causes to which she so passionately dedicated herself," said President Higgins.

"Sabina and I were privileged to be friends of Nell Mccafferty and to have experienced her enduring strength, courage, warmth and humour. She will be missed by us all.

‘Mural For Nell’ set to grace the Bogside’s People’s Gallery

Ms McCafferty died in August last year at the age of 80

"Nell was a fearless journalist, an unrelenting campaigner, a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected. Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning of her work.

"For example, Nell knew that, standing behind the rituals of courts and unfortunate defendants, there was always a complex story for which she had a gifted empathy to understand. In her column, 'In the Eyes of the Law', she opened people's eyes to the operation of the District Court and its interaction with those who found themselves before it.

"A woman of deep empathy and great humour, Nell had a unique gift in stirring people's consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society. A defining feature across Nell's life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

"As a writer and activist, including co-founder of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement, Nell McCafferty played a vital role and leaves a true legacy in fighting for feminism and women's rights across the island.

"Paying tribute to Nell on her 80th birthday last year, I said that, "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.

"It is fitting that on this International Women's Day, we honour Nell in a way that ensures her presence remains alive in this community, in the streets that shaped her, and in the city that was always at the heart of her identity. Her legacy will endure in the movements she helped inspire, in the freedoms for which she fought, and in the lives she changed.

"May I also pay tribute to Nell's lifelong friend Eamonn McCann, for his commitment to activism, justice and equality over so many decades, adn indeed to all those whose work has been invaluable in this initiative.

"May this mural stand as a lasting testament to a remarkable life, a reminder to all of us of the power of words, of activism, and of a conscience that refuses to be silenced.

"Siochán siorraí le anam Nell."

There will be a full report on the unveiling of the 'Goodnight Sisters' mural of Nell McCafferty in The Derry News.