Released from Irish Jail, 79-year-old peace activist 
vows to keep protesting

PictureMargaretta D’Arcy at her release from Mountjoy prison in Dublin
Facing another trial and a return to prison, Margaretta D'Arcy says she will keep protesting to highlight what she calls the "colonizing of our airport for illegal and immoral purposes."




Margaretta D’Arcy, the famed 79-year-old feminist, peace activist, writer and filmmaker, was released from jail on March 22, 2014 after serving three months for protesting against the US military use of Ireland's Shannon Airport.


Following her release, Margaretta continued to reject the charges against her and her co-defendant, Niall Farrell, that claim they were interfering with the ‘proper use' of Shannon Airport by trespassing onto the runway in October 2012 and again in September 2013. They were, in fact, “highlighting the improper use of Shannon Airport by the US military, who have effectively colonized an Irish airport,” Margaretta said.


Since 2003, over two million US soldiers, their weapons and thousands of US military aircraft and cargo planes have transited through Shannon Airport on their way to wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Activists claim the government of neutral Ireland has improperly facilitated these movements of troops and weaponry — which could easily have included killer drones and depleted uranium — and failed to inspect any of the military cargos. Neither did the government inspect any of the CIA planes landing at the airport, which have been implicated in illegal 'extraordinary rendition' flights.


Margaretta draws support from many prominent figures, including Sabina Coyne, wife of Irish President Michael D. Higgins, who controversially visited the activist during her detention. Gerry Adams, president of Irish Republican party Sinn Féin, also saw D'Arcy in jail.
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Story from Common Dreams
Posted June 2014

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