Rita O'Hare

She was arrested in Northern Ireland in 1972 for the attempted murder of a British soldier and served three years in jail in the Republic for trying to smuggle ...

She later moved to the US where she spent 20 years working as a senior Sinn Féin representative, running the party's office in Washington. Her previous husband, the prominent republican and journalist, Gerry O'Hare, died in 2020. She was arrested in Northern Ireland in 1972 for the attempted murder of a British soldier the previous year, but fled across the border after being released on bail to avoid prosecution.

“I am deeply saddened by the news that Rita O'Hare - a powerhouse within Sinn Féin and the Irish republican struggle - has died. It is a sad day for Republicans ...

On my own behalf and that of Sinn Féin, I wish to offer heartfelt condolences to Brendan and to all the family. She was a tireless, assiduous and effective worker and in whatever capacity she served, she encouraged the highest standards among her colleagues. Rita was born and raised in Belfast, at a time when the north was an apartheid state, defined by sectarian discrimination and the marginalisation and oppression of the nationalist community. Sinn Féin has lost a talented and valued comrade and we have all lost a very special and very dear friend. Forced to go ‘on the run’ in the early 1970s, for her active opposition to British rule and military aggression, Rita later settled with her family in Dublin. Rita O’Hare had been an influential Republican activist for decades and an important figure in the Irish Peace Process.

She was a fierce voice for the Republican movement, occasionally flashing that Irish temper that cut through the babble of some sunshine patriots and told ...

You were the Sunday in every week around the Irish Voice office when we saw you coming and your spirit and inspirational hope will forever live on with us. The light touch covered a multitude, but she got down to business when the common courtesy had been exchanged. She was everyone’s friend and hypocrisy's mortal enemy. I once told her (hoping to draw a reaction) that she needed a nice ball gown and pearls to attend an upcoming White House event. Sinn Féin has lost a talented and valued comrade. She had a non-pareil gift of precision.

Mary Lou McDonald described Rita O'Hare as a 'powerhouse within Sinn Féin and the Irish republican struggle'.

O’Hare was born and raised in Belfast. For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away. More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.

Rita O'Hare, for years one of the most prominent members of Sinn Féin and a key figure in the emergence and success of the peace process, has died ...

“It is a sad day for Republicans throughout the length and breadth of Ireland and for Rita’s many friends beyond these shores, particularly in the United States. She was married to Gerry O'Hare, a Belfast native and member of the IRA's Army Council during the first years of the Troubles. She was party's director of publicity, general secretary, and, ultimately, the party's representative to Washington.

Republican and Sinn Féin strategist Rita O'Hare has died aged 80 after a long illness. The party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, paid tribute to the former Sinn ...

She died at her home in Dublin on Friday night. She was widely admired in the republican movement and by both British and Irish politicians for her role in the peace process, but many unionists regarded her as a hate figure because of her IRA involvement. She was a "powerhouse" within the party and she played an influential role in the peace process, Ms McDonald added.