Siobhán O'Hanlon facts for kids

Siobhán O'Hanlon (born in 1963 – died April 11, 2006) was an important activist for Sinn Féin, a political party in Northern Ireland. She was also involved with the IRA.

Early Life and Family Connections

Siobhán O'Hanlon was born in 1963 in North Belfast, a city in Northern Ireland. She grew up in a family that supported Irish republicanism, which is a belief in a united Ireland. Her family had six children. Her father, Sam, was held in prison for a time. Her uncle, Joe Cahill, was a well-known member of the IRA.

Siobhán married Patrick Sheehan, and they had a son named Cormac. One of her sisters, Eilis O'Hanlon, became a newspaper writer who had different political views from Siobhán.

Political Involvement

Siobhán O'Hanlon became involved in politics and activism from a young age.

Early Activism

In 1983, Siobhán was sent to prison for four years because of her involvement with explosives. Later, in 1989, she was briefly held in Los Angeles County in the United States. She was then sent back to Ireland because she had not told US officials about her previous conviction.

Some British newspapers suggested she was involved in a planned bombing in Gibraltar in 1988, which was stopped by British special forces. Records from MI5, a British intelligence agency, show a photo of her in Gibraltar before the incident. These records suggest she realized she was being watched and returned to Ireland.

Working with Sinn Féin

Siobhán O'Hanlon played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process. This was a time when different groups worked to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

• Meeting the Prime Minister: In December 1997, she was part of the first group from Sinn Féin to meet the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at Downing Street in London.
• Peace Talks: She was very involved in the Sinn Féin team that worked on negotiations at Stormont, leading up to the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement was a big step towards peace in Northern Ireland.
• International Connections: In 2001, Siobhán helped arrange a trip for Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, to South Africa. There, they met Nelson Mandela, a famous leader who fought for equality. They also unveiled a memorial at Robben Island Prison, where Mandela had been jailed. The memorial honored ten Irish republicans who died during a hunger strike in 1981.
• Belfast Executive: Siobhán was also a member of Sinn Féin's Belfast Executive, which is a local leadership group. She continued to participate in the peace talks at Stormont.

Later Life and Health Activism

Siobhán O'Hanlon was diagnosed with breast cancer. She passed away at the age of 43 on April 11, 2006.

Breast Cancer Awareness

During her illness, Siobhán became a strong advocate for breast cancer awareness. She organized a conference to bring together activists. Her goal was to talk about breast cancer, help more people understand it, and highlight the need for mobile breast cancer screening units. These units help people get checked for cancer more easily.

Community Work

Siobhán also helped start the Feile an Phobail festival in West Belfast. She dedicated many years to making this festival a success. In addition, she volunteered her time to help adults with Down's syndrome, showing her commitment to her community.

Tributes and Legacy

Many people honored Siobhán O'Hanlon after her death.

Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Féin, was one of the people who carried her coffin at her funeral. More than 1,000 people attended the funeral to pay their respects.

Adams spoke about her, saying she led their office in West Belfast during a very difficult and dangerous time. He said that even when friends were hurt or killed, they kept working. He also dedicated his speech for the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising to Siobhán.

Danny Morrison, writing for the Daily Ireland newspaper, said that people would benefit from Siobhán's work. He mentioned her efforts in the fight for freedom, the peace process, the connections she built, and the international friendships she made. He also noted the goodwill she created for republicanism and the important political projects she contributed to.

See also

• History of Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland peace process