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| Geraldine Taylor |
From a staunch Republican family, her brother Seán Convery was one of the "Magnificent Seven" who escaped from the Maidstone prison ship in 1972. Geraldine herself was Adjutant and later OC of Cumann na mBan in Belfast during a critical period in the struggle against British rule.
Geraldine Taylor was an unbreakable Fenian. As a person she was imbued with a physical and moral courage that was profound. Never afraid to stand alone whatever the odds if she believed she was right. In 1986 when Gerry Adams sought to lead the Republican Movement to the stoop of Leinster House, she rejected this move as a betrayal of fundamental republican principles. As a proud Belfast woman Geraldine was under no illusions that her stand would expose her to physical threats and social isolation:
Now when the split in ’86 – I was here on my own [Belfast]. I went out and sold papers. I was part of a big mass organisation and I was left. People walked past me and all this craic and it was very hard to take. Very hard to take. And for years it was terrible and we got a few people on board and we were selling our papers and there was manys a night I cried myself to sleep. So one night I was fighting with myself and I said what are you crying for? I said pull yourself together. Look at the men and women, boys and girls that’s buried in Milltown Cemetery - Marisa McGlinchey, Unfinished Business: The Politics of ‘Dissident’ Irish Republicanism
Geraldine was clear in her conviction that she was remaining on the same path on those that had come before her and rejected all attempts by her enemies to label her:
We walked out with the Republican Movement intact. Those who remained in the Mansion House that day were the dissidents. - Marisa McGlinchey, Unfinished Business: The Politics of ‘Dissident’ Irish Republicanism
Geraldine went on to take a leadership role in Republican Sinn FĂ©in serving on the organisation’s Ard Chomhairle and also as Vice President. I had the privilege of knowing Geraldine for almost 40 years during which time she was a loyal friend and comrade but not an uncritical one when she believed the occasion demanded. I was proud to stand with Geraldine in defending the integrity of the Ulster Office of Republican Sinn FĂ©in in Belfast when she fearlessly and successfully faced down a criminal element who were attempting to wrest control of it.
The welfare of republican prisoners was always close to her heart and the focus of much of her activism.
Sadly, we found ourselves on opposites sides in a dispute between her and the Ard Chomhairle which would result in her dismissal from Republican Sinn FĂ©in. Despite this our friendship endured and my respect for her remained undiminished. Geraldine never failed to reach out to me at various times over the following years. When I faced both personal and political challenges in recent years Geraldine was among the first to contact me to express her support. I will forever cherish the memory of those conversations at difficult point in my life.
Geraldine never wavered and remained faithful to her republican principles and right up to her final illness she defiantly flew the flag of uncompromising traditional Irish Republicanism in West Belfast.
Goodbye old friend and may the soil of your beloved Belfast rest lightly on you.
Deepest sympathy to her husband Tom, her children Fiona, Anne and TomaĂ, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ar dheis DĂ© go raibh a hanam dĂlis
The Soldiers of Cumann na mBan
"They stand for the honour of Ireland,
As their sisters in days that are gone,
And they’ll march with their brothers to freedom,
The soldiers of Cumann na mBan.
"No great-hearted daughter of Ireland,
Who died for her sake long ago,
Who stood in the gap of her danger,
Defying the Sassenach foe,
Was ever more gallant or worthy,
Of glory in high sounding rann,
Than the comrades of Óglaigh na hÉireann,
The soldiers of Cumann na mBan!
- Brian Ă“ hUigĂnn
⏩Des Dalton is a long time republican activist.
I always liked Geraldine. She faced down the ostracism and did not give into the anonymous pressure of the group. She was a good friend to us particularly when Carrie was pregnant - a time when the Green shirts were in full intimation mode.
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