Indomitable lady at rest

The death has taken place of Josie Airey, a courageous woman who by indefatigable tenacity and determination forced an Irish government to introduce free legal aid in matters relating to family law.

An ordinary woman, she achieved an extraordinary accomplishment in suing an Irish Government before the European Court of Human Rights, thereby establishing for the first time a fundamental legal right.

She blazed a legal trail which opened the way for thousands of others locked into a bad marriage and who wanted a legal exit from it, but who were unable to afford it.