{"id":702168,"date":"2026-01-17T13:25:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/702168\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T13:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T13:25:26","slug":"mickey-brady-tributes-paid-as-former-sinn-fein-mp-remembered-as-a-giant-of-the-community-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/702168\/","title":{"rendered":"Mickey Brady tributes paid as former Sinn F\u00e9in MP remembered as \u2018a giant of the community\u2019 \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tributes have been paid to former Sinn F\u00e9in MP Mickey Brady, who has died at the age of 75.<\/p>\n

Brady served as MP for Newry and Armagh for almost a decade and was also a former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. <\/p>\n

He retired from elected politics in 2024 after announcing he would not be standing for re-election to Westminster.<\/p>\n

Brady was a welfare rights adviser before he entered politics.<\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a>\"‘It’s<\/a>\"PressMickey Brady pictured at the UK general election count at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon in July 2024. PICTURE: PRESSEYE (Philip Magowan\/Press Eye) <\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald led the tributes to her former party colleague, describing Brady as \u201cour friend and comrade\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ms McDonald continued: \u201cMickey dedicated his entire life to the people of Newry and Armagh. Long before he ever held elected office, Mickey was already known across the community as someone who stood with and by the people. <\/p>\n

\u201cHis work in welfare rights and housing advice changed thousands of lives, quietly and without fanfare, year after year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mickey entered elected politics, he brought those same values with him. Integrity. Kindness. Decency. Justice. He had a fierce commitment to fairness. <\/p>\n

\u201cMickey served as a Sinn F\u00e9in MLA and later as MP with humility and determination, always putting the needs of ordinary people first.<\/p>\n

\u201cMickey was an Irish republican of deep conviction. He believed completely in the peace process, in reconciliation, and in a united Ireland built on equality and respect for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was also a gentle soul – warm, witty, and unfailingly generous with his time. He treated everyone with respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in vice president Michelle O\u2019Neill echoed the sentiment, adding that both Newry and Sinn F\u00e9in \u201chas lost a giant of the community\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMickey was a lifelong champion for the people of Newry and Armagh, dedicating more than five decades of his life to community and political activism\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a deep-rooted passion for his community and its people, whether through his work in welfare advice or during his time as a Sinn F\u00e9in MLA and MP for the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis door was always open to people right across the community, and he gave his time generously to everyone who sought his help.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Irish Republican, involved from as far back as the civil rights movement, Mickey spoke with great pride when reflecting on the strides made to ensure fairness for his community and towards national unification.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a gentleman and a deeply insightful, knowledgeable, and committed political activist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Brady is survived by his wife, children, step-children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tributes have been paid to former Sinn F\u00e9in MP Mickey Brady, who has died at the age of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":702169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-702168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-northern-ireland","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115910667538861083","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}