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NICKY MCFADDEN DIED from motor neurone disease on 25 March 2014.
At the time she was a Fine Gael TD for Longford Westmeath, having previously served in the Seanad and Westmeath County Council.
Following her death, her sister Gabrielle won the by-election for her seat.
As the first anniversary of her death approaches, Gabrielle said the family are “very lonely for her constantly”, noting that “every day there’s something that reminds us she’s not with us”.
Speaking on Today with Sean O’Rourke, she recalled how the first indication something might be wrong was a throat and ear infection Nicky contracted in August 2011 – and couldn’t shake off.
After seeking a diagnosis for about eight months, the family was devastated to learn to she had motor neurone disease.
Gabrielle said the family “would have been very grateful if it had been cancer”, as Nicky would at least have had a chance of survival then.
She noted that her sister took the weekend to come to terms with the news, but got her hair blow-dried on Monday before holding a clinic in Athlone and then returning to Leinster House as normal.
Gabrielle said Nicky was “absolutely determined” to continue her work, adding: “I don’t think she ever thought she would die.”
The TD carried on her life as normal as she could, working and going on family holidays.
Her voice
Gabrielle said her sister’s voice was “the first thing to go”, with her losing the power of speech completely by Christmas 2012. Then her limbs started to fail.
Her voice was the biggest loss for us because then she was kind of trapped in her head.
Gabrielle joked that Nicky “could give you a dirty look that let you know you weren’t doing something right”, but also had a beautiful smile.
Like all families we kill each other, but actually we are an amazing family in how we pulled together. Nicky never spent a night in a hospital, which we are very pleased about.
Nicky’s father, former councillor Brendan McFadden, died four months before his daughter passed away.
Gabrielle said this was incredibly difficult time for the family but “looking at it now, it probably was better – it wouldn’t have been right for him to bury Nicky”.
Nicky made Gabrielle, then a member of Athlone town council, promise she would put her name forward to contest the by-election for her seat.
Gabrielle agreed but said she didn’t necessarily expect to win, adding that she doesn’t like the term ‘political dynasty’.
She did win, however, and now plans to run again in the next general election.
Gabrielle said she is “very proud” of Enda Kenny and what Fine Gael has achieved since coming to power.
At the party’s recent Ard Fheis she said she got “awful pang”, thinking “I shouldn’t be here, it should be Nicky.”
However, she said that if her father was alive he would tell her “keep your head up and keep going”.
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Solidarity Greetings to the Basque People hopefully your Independence isn’t to far away
Solidarity greetings from one terrorist group to another you mean…
KKK you must have my notifications on alert they’re freedom fighters fighting for their own land the same way the Provisional IRA fought to defend their people
Don’t flatter yourself Thomas. They’re not freedom fighters. They’re terrorists same was as the IRA or any other Republican offshoot…or Loyalist for that matter.
Tomas don’t feed it
I’m not it’s not worth it
Because you can’t justify murder, whether it’s 829 people in Spain or 3000+ in Northern Ireland/Britain or Ireland. Murder is murder.
“Defend their people”, you must be high
KKK sounds like Thatchier
Why would I be high Steve where was the Irish Government when their own civilians where being murdered by the British Army in the streets of Derry Ballymurphy Westrock Whiterock etc the list is endless someone had to defend the Irish People if this land and that was the Provisional Irish Republican Army and i for one am grateful for them
Were they defending their people at Kingsmills or Enniskillen?
John Hume did more with his words than your shower of low life’s did with a gun !!!
Alan what are you trying to insinuate ?? And who is a low life
Sinn Fein / Ira of course who else !!!
Alan tell me this, was it John Hume who defended the nationalist citizens of Short Strand when the loyalist hordes came to burn St Mathews church and to try and do to the Short Strand what they did to Bombay street.
Was my post removed?
Sound like Thatchier (sic)? How so, because I don’t support murderers? Says a lot about you…
What does it say about me KKK your just a typical blueshift with the same old story whilst we try to move on ppl like you keep trying to drag us into the past which will never happen
and you… the KKK would know all about murder wouldn’t you? You must’ve smelled your own…
Jon Rudd ??
Sorry Joan, you lost me there?
A Blueshirt!? Why exactly? Attack is the best form of defence with you and your ilk. You talk about moving on, yet you glorify murderers. You can’t even own up to your sordid past. That is why you will always be a minority group in this country..
KKK you constantly twist articles to start arguments about SF , IRA and the nationalist community is that all you live sleep and breath .. Let it go Kris let it go
Glen, Kris’ problem is that more and more nowadays, the Provos are being seen as freedom fighters and not terrorists. He calls it history being rewritten when in fact it’s just the truth coming out. You cannot debate with people whose minds are so closed Glen.
Certainly not Glen. Thomas McManus is under the impression that the IRA were/are freedom fighters when they were/are terrorists. ETA have murdered over 800 people as part of their armed campaign. They are also terrorists.
Good man Roland…I think you’ll find that that the vast majority of people see the IRA as terrorists, not freedom fighters. You see they have no mandate. They are terrorists. It is you that has the closed mind, with your camouflage blinkers. By the way did you try and educate yourself on the link I posted below by having a read?
My point kris is that you seem to have an unhealthy obsession going on
As far as I’m concerned the volunteers of yesteryear were freedom fighters I have little or no respect for the gangsters that followed them after the agreement
You see this is what I find disturbing Glen. By your analysis every murder, maiming, and bombing campaign that occurred before 1998 was legitimate. Is this correct?
I support any attack carried out on an occupying force as legit don’t you
Was Enniskillen legit? Was Kingsmill legit? Were the bombing of Guildford, Warrington, Birmingham, shopping centres in Manchester legit?
Occupying force is legit
There is no legitimate reason in bombing public places but it has to be said kris that it has long been rumored that the British mi5 was involved in bombings to be blamed on the IRA
Now you are saying MI5 are responsible for bombings and blamed them on the IRA. I have heard it all now. You truly have been brainwashed by the Republican propaganda. You need to stop reading An Phoblacht and listening to Comrade Adams….Republican paramilitaries have caused more hurt, despair and destruction than any other group on these islands. They are parasites.
Kris
Sorry do you know me ?
I have never stated what political party if any I support
I have never said I read An Phoblacht
I have never said I believe in those rumours
You have an intense obsession with this topic as I stated before and your agenda is to accuse people in the wrong and start arguments hence the reason I started this debate with you and you have proved me right
That was my agenda so with that said maybe you can sort your issue out and stop trolling
Kris is completely polarised is his views. There can be no reasonable debate with him.
Really Fang. It’s just I’m against murderers. You either agree or disagree, that’s up to you.
So what’s your opinion on the UVF or the British army? In the interest of consistency, I’m sure you feel the same about them as you do the IRA.
Fang, you cannot have a reasonable debate with KKK. The guy is totally blinded by his hatred of republicans. There’s a few of them comment on journal stories just to lead the comments off topic. Sad.
but are in favor of murders kris just as long as its the side you like doing it
Tomas. How can you even engage in debate with someone who uses KKK as his online name. KKK how can you dare criticise IRA freedom fighters when you choose to contrive a name like KKK. Blue shirt and a white pointed hood.
Is appears the inbreeding program has worked for the terrorists of SF , is it true they all gave webbed feet. Ah ya gotta love those idiots in SF they give us a great laugh. They are a lot similar to humans in many ways
Kris went very quiet when you asked him his opinion on the UVF and the British army.
I mean REALLY quiet.
What was written on the gable ends in those places?? IRA= I Ran Away
Dagnet, you obviously forgot about this one so:
“14 dead and not forgotten.
We got 18 and Mountbatten.”
Good man tomas your just telling the truth. Some people are just so ignorant
There would be no near for violence if people’s right to freedom was respected.
People have differing notions of freedom
Great news. Hopefully soon our Celtic brothers in the Basque region will have independence.
They’re not Celtic. I think you are mistaking the Basque Region with Galicia in North Western Spain.
Em Kris, I think you’re mistaken in thinking that I give a fvck what you think.
Em Roland. I think you will find it is you that is incorrect. Do some more research. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the link below at your leisure.
More braindead shinners :D
Correction – recently the Celtic Gene was traced to the Basque Country. If you visited you would understand as the people look, play music, have the same sense of humour and love of life as the Irish. A great place that deserves Independence. Gora Euskadi.
Any organisation, whether it nationalist, unionist, basque or otherwise, that indiscriminately kills civilians deserves absolute contempt and scorn. The sad thing is that, in time, the ideology and cause that such groups champion takes a back seat.
Filth, all of them.
The Spanish army is pretty well versed in indiscriminate killing of civilians. What’s your opinion on them?
He just said “any”.
How are the Spanish army well versed on killing ?
You’re not talking about the Franco era are you ? The 30s ?
The very same. Like I said, all filth.
I feel the same. A lot are inconsistent in their views though, rabidly defending one side and condemning the other. In situations like this, everyone has blood on their hands.
The Franco era lasted until his death, the Basque people were the only who kept the fight going against Franco’s regime, they also stormed the beaches in Normandy with the allies, so look up a bit of history first and you will be surprised
SF go one further and not only nudets innocent people they also have a keen interest in rape and incest. Sick animals should be put down.
And they also fought with Hitler on the Russian front…Just to give a bit of perspective too.
Ah Dagnet and Ironman, how’d the protest go tonight? The PSNIRA still won’t let you down the road? Ah well, back to the caravan for some buckfast and glue. Ye horrible excuses for human beings.
And the Spanish Guardia civil who just recently indirectly caused the death of 15 illegal immigrants by firing rubber bullets at them while trying to sneak across the border in Ceuta causing then to panic and fall in the sea, and the ones who made it a shore where dragged up to the Moroccan border and tossed back over the other side without any medical assistance breaching various human rights and the government seen no wrongdoing on the part of the Guardia Civil and now they are saying that this commission on the weapons is on the payroll of ETA
Savages admired by other savages with no respect for the lives or views of others.
Give it a rest, Paddy. You’re so predictable.
yeah because unionists are famed for their respect of others views,go on paddy you are always good for a laugh
Paddy is right
Oh give it a rest
You still spouting your loyalists shite??!!
Terrorists always stick together
Tell me about it, the Americans and British have been terrorising different regions around the globe as brothers in arms for a very long time.
So you’re a pizza delivery boy. And you’re in your 40′s. Explains a lot about.
Hopefully you deliver to barracks and get topped along with the sandbags next time!
Ironman talks about republican inbreeding. Think you’ll find that Edwin Poots is the poster boy of inbreeding.
Idiots
Hi kenneth
I wonder are their economic policies as hair brained as that lot on Parnell sq
Jazuz wept kkk do you ever shut up?
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