Tributes have poured in following the death of Margaretta D’Arcy, the fearless artist, writer and peace activist whose uncompromising voice shaped Irish cultural and political life for more than half a century. Ms D’Arcy, who was 91, died in Galway on Sunday, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of creative daring, radical honesty and steadfast commitment to justice.
President Catherine Connolly led the tributes, expressing “deep sadness” at the loss of “a fearless artist, peace activist, and cherished member of Aosdána.” In a heartfelt statement, she described Ms D’Arcy as “a woman of extraordinary conviction, an actor, playwright, filmmaker and writer who brought a radical honesty to her work.”
The President added: “Margaretta’s sad passing marks the loss of a singular voice in Irish cultural and civic life. She will be deeply missed by all those who were fortunate to have known her. My deepest sympathies go to her family, friends, and to all those who loved and admired her. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.”
D’Arcy’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most courageous cultural figures was rooted not only in her prolific artistic output but in her lifelong readiness to put her body on the line for peace. “Her lifelong dedication to peace and anti-war activism was equally profound,” President Connolly noted.
“Margaretta was a tireless advocate for global justice and a steadfast supporter of the people of Palestine, participating regularly in demonstrations and community actions grounded in her unwavering belief in human rights.” The President recalled that D’Arcy had also kindly supported her during her recent presidential campaign, offering encouragement “with characteristic warmth and determination,” and that they had met just two weeks before her passing.
Born in London in 1934 to Irish and Russian-Jewish parents and raised in Dublin, D’Arcy became known early as a fiercely intelligent dramatist and performer. Her partnership with the late playwright John Arden, whom she married in 1957, produced a significant body of collaborative theatre, including The Non-Stop Connolly Show, The Ballygombeen Bequest, and the founding of the Galway Theatre Workshop.
Her own literary and dramatic work spanned memoir, essays, radio drama and political performance. Her best-known book, Tell Them Everything, a frank memoir of her time in Armagh Gaol—where she was imprisoned in the late 1970s after spray-painting the Ulster Museum in solidarity with Republican women prisoners—became a defining text of creative resistance.
The Arts Council, of which she had been an esteemed member since the formation of Aosdána in 1981, paid tribute to her formidable body of work. Chair Maura McGrath described her as an artist whose creativity was marked by “dedication to her craft and diversity of form.”
“Bold and uncompromising, D’Arcy possessed a relentless energy and curiosity. She leaves behind a rich artistic legacy which includes memoirs, essays, plays and film. Perhaps best known for her frank and fearless memoir Tell Them Everything, D’Arcy will no doubt be read and admired for generations to come,” added Ms McGrath.
But it was D’Arcy’s activism—persistent, unyielding, and often risky—that made her a folk hero of the Irish peace movement. She was jailed again in 2014 for refusing to stay away from restricted zones at Shannon Airport during protests against the US military’s use of Irish territory.
Her refusal to sign a bond to uphold the law led to 9½ weeks in Limerick Prison and the Dóchas Centre, an experience she described with typical clarity and humour in Ireland’s Guantánamo Granny. She had previously campaigned at Greenham Common with the women’s anti-nuclear movement, stood with communities in Mayo during the Shell to Sea protests, and was a familiar figure—often with her walker—at demonstrations for Palestinian rights.
In Galway, where she lived for decades, she remained embedded in grassroots activism until the very end. The Galway Alliance Against War said: “We feel privileged to have had Margaretta in our ranks for so many years. She stands as an outstanding example of a life fully and purposefully lived, dedicated to a future free from wars of profit and power.” The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign called her a “fierce, fearless artist and anti-war activist” and an early signatory to the Irish Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel.
Margaretta D’Arcy was also known for protest as performance art, once staging a six-week sit-in outside the Arts Council and creating the film Circus Expose from the experience. Even in her later years, she continued to shake institutions: just last month she returned her honorary doctorate to the University of Galway in protest at its involvement in research linked to the Israeli Defence Forces.
Her influence on political theatre also prompted tributes from cultural workers. Eimear Hargey of Áras Uí Chonghaile in Belfast said D’Arcy’s community staging of James Connolly’s story proved that “art remains one of the strongest forces for grassroots political education,” adding that D’Arcy “brought Connolly back to the people, and that is exactly where he belongs.”
In 2024, at the age of 90, she ran for Galway City Council under the slogan “mad, bad and dangerous,” standing for decentralised power, peace, and sentient rights—an emblematic final gesture from an artist who never stopped challenging complacency.
Margaretta D’Arcy’s life was a testament to courage, creativity and conviction. Her voice, though now stilled, echoes through her books, her plays, her films, and the countless lives she emboldened. She leaves a rich and fearless legacy—one that Ireland will continue to reckon with, learn from, and celebrate for generations.
