LATEST: CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan has passed away at the age of 48

The death has taken place of cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan.

Ms Phelan, who lived in Limerick but was originally from Kilkenny, passed away in Milford Care Centre this morning.

Her death comes just weeks after the passing of another CervicalCheck campaigner Lynsey Bennett, who died at the age of 34.

Ms Phelan, who spoke about her health issues at a public meeting in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, four years ago, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014. She had a 

She had also launched her memoir, Overcoming, in Cashel library in 2019, which went on to become the An Post Book of the Year.

She received the Freedom of Limerick last February.

Ms Phelan, 48, is survived by her daughter Amelia, 16, and son Darragh, 11.

Vicky Phelan exposed the controversy around the national screening programme CervicalCheck, in which she and other women were not informed that cervical cancer smear test results showing them to be in the clear were actually inaccurate and the revised test results in an audit were kept from them for years.

In April 2018, she settled a High Court action for €2.5m with Clinical Pathology Labs US, without admission of liability, which had been subcontracted by the CervicalCheck national screening programme to assess the smear test results. An internal CervicalCheck audit found the original smear check result to be wrong.

Her campaigning led to the Scally Independent investigation and 2018 report into the controversy.

It also led to the establishment of the 221+ support group and a State apology.

Ms Phelan was named as one of the BBC's 100 women in 2018.

A documentary of her life, Vicky, was screened recently.