Brigid Makowski was an Irish Republican activist and politician from Derry, Northern Ireland.
19 Facts About Brigid Makowski
1.
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However, following the declaration of a ceasefire by the Official Irish Republican Army in 1974, Makowski broke from the officials and helped found the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
3.
Brigid Makowski was born on 6 January 1937 in the Bogside area of Derry to a "very Republican, very Catholic" family.
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Brigid Makowski first was employed at a shirt factory in Derry but was later fired for trying to organise a strike for better working conditions.
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In 1961 Brigid Makowski joined the Irish-American grouping Clan na Gael in Philadelphia.
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Brigid Makowski arrived home on 3 October 1968, two days before the Derry Civil Rights March of 5 October, which devolved into mass violence between marchers and members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
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Brigid Makowski would begin attending the Republican Clubs, a front for Sinn Fein which had been banned in Northern Ireland since 1964.
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Seamus Costello 8.
Brigid Makowski obliged but continued to remain politically active, again alongside Clan na Gael.
9.
In July 1970 Brigid Makowski was a part of a sit-in protest against the British Consulate in Philadelphia following the Falls Curfew.
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Brigid Makowski occupied the building for five days before being physically removed by police.
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The Brigid Makowski family relocated to Ireland in the early 1970s, but for reasons of safety chose to relocate to Limerick City in the Republic of Ireland.
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In January 1972 Brigid Makowski was arrested and jailed for collecting funds without a permit.
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Months later, Brigid Makowski was charged with non-payment of a fine, membership of the Irish Republican Army, and incitement to violence.
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In doing so, Brigid Makowski became the first woman in Ireland to be charged with being a member of the IRA.
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In 1972 Brigid Makowski disagreed with the decision by the Official IRA to participate in a ceasefire and thereafter became a supporter of Seamus Costello.
16.
Brigid Makowski was called to testify at the Official IRA court-martial of Costello in Mornington.
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Brigid Makowski was later elected to Clare County Council in 1991.
18.
Brigid Makowski campaigned against the building of the visitor centre in Mullaghmore, in the Burren.
19.
On 15 April 2017, Brigid Makowski died at Letterkenny Hospital from complications following treatment for lung cancer.