Brigid McCole was an Irish hepatitis C campaigner.
17 Facts About Brigid McCole
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Brigid McCole was born Bridget Ellen Sharkey in Bunawack, Glenties, County Donegal on 21 June 1942.
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Brigid McCole's parents were John, labourer, and Ellen Sharkey.
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Between 1969 and 1982, Brigid McCole had 6 daughters and 6 sons.
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Brigid McCole's husband was chronically ill, which compounded the difficulty of raising so many children.
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Brigid McCole discovered that she had been infected with hepatitis C during the 1970s, having received infected blood products during one of her pregnancies in November 1977.
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Brigid McCole was given a blood product known as Anti-D, manufactured by the Blood Transfusion Services Board, to treat haemolytic syndrome in newborn babies.
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Brigid McCole came to prominence during the hepatitis C scandal from 1994 to 1996.
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Brigid McCole had been experiencing a decline in her health since 1988, with pain and extreme fatigue.
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Brigid McCole's hardship was compounded as she had no access to private transport and with no rail service from County Donegal, she travelled alone by bus between her home and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin for treatment.
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Brigid McCole was one of the Positive Action members who met President Mary Robinson in Dublin in November 1994.
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Brigid McCole sued the BTSB, the Irish state and the National Drugs Advisory Board under her own name.
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Brigid McCole's health continued to deteriorate, but Positive Action and John Rogers SC kept the pressure up.
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Brigid McCole had attempted to have a full hearing in June 1996 due to her ailing health, but this was refused and a trial date was set for 8 October 1996.
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Brigid McCole was in St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin in late September 1996 dying, and was unlikely to be able to attend her high court hearing.
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In March 1997, the tribunal published its report, and later in August 1997 the Brigid McCole report was published and the compensation tribunal was established in law.
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Noonan later spoke about the huge effect Brigid McCole had on him later in his political career, and the long-lasting effect of the scandal on Fine Gael.