Clodagh Finn: Fifteen lessons I learned from Vicky Phelan in her too-short life

Vicky Phelan used her voice not just to challenge, but to rock the system, and she left behind a considerable legacy

Vicky Phelan used her voice not just to
challenge, but to rock the system, and
she left behind a considerable legacy. Picture: RTÉ

I re-read Vicky Phelan’s memoir Overcoming after hearing of her death on Monday. I wanted to compile an inventory of what she did and, more importantly, of what she urged us — the women of Ireland — to do.

I will print out this guide of sorts and tape it to my fridge door as a reminder of how one woman overcame so much adversity to make Ireland a better place. She used her voice not just to challenge, but to rock the system. And she left behind a considerable legacy.