Dermot Crowley Ógra Shinn Féin
West Tyrone
Paula Murphy was born on 15 March 1985 into the Republican Strathroy Estate in Omagh Town.
Strathroy would become her loving home for the next 18 years, and played a role in shaping her into the young women she became, forging the friendships that would endure her until her untimely and tragic death.
Paula really was a happy go lucky person, always optimistic, always full of laughter and always willing to go to extraordinary lengths for her friends and family.
Educated at Christ the King Primary, Saint Brigids High School and then enrolling in a beauty therapy course in the Omagh Tech, Paula was well educated and an extremely likable and popular young women who always gained new friends no matter where she went. She always had a strong circle of friends around her when you seen her at school or at the tech.
She possessed all that it is to be a republican, humility, a strong community spirit, a passion for Irish freedom, and a desire to help and improve the lives of others around her.
In her short yet full life, she got to the heart of the community involving herself in the local youth club and summer scheme, and participated in 2 cross community international trips in Germany and France, demonstrating an early commitment to bridge building between communities and anti sectarianism.
Paula was a young republican and she made this clear through her membership of the Martin Hurson Republican Flute Band, and becoming an active member in the newly formed West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin.
Paula always did the band proud as she played the flute at the many parades across the north and throughout Tyrone, and it was a fitting send off for her as uniformed members of the Martin Hurson Band provided a guard of honour at her funeral.
She always demonstrated leadership and dedication as a Republican, on one particular occasion Paula suffered a broken leg when she was pushed by a member of the PSNI outside a local nightclub.
Undeterred by her injuries and this act of intimidation she was out the following week, with the aid of crutches, protesting with Ógra Shinn Féin in blocking the front entrance of Omagh Brit camp in opposition to the then impending US and Brit invasion of Iraq.
Paula appeared on the front page of the Ulster Herald that week criticizing the PSNI for their heavy handed actions over breaking her leg, and then you flicked over the page and she was on the inside protesting outside the Brit Camp.
That was typical Paula, despite a broken leg and while she should have been nursing her injuries, she was out on the frontline standing in solidarity with the people of Iraq and demanding ‘Brits Out!’ of Omagh.
7 years on from the many protests that she was involved in, the Brit camp is closed, she played her part in it, not only by her actions but as a constant inspiration to us following her death.
On Easter Sunday (20th April) 2003, not long having returned from the Tyrone County Easter Commemorations in Carrickmore, Paula was tragically killed in a car accident. She was only 18 years old.
Following her death, the entire republican family in Tyrone and the local community was in shock that such a bright young life was cut short in such tragic circumstances. Her wake and funeral were the biggest that Strathroy had ever witnessed, evidence of her huge popularity in life and the tight knit community, which rallied around her family.
West Tyrone Ógra have gone on to become the most active, most vibrant cumann of the leading youth movement in Ireland.
While there are many factors to this, one of the main reasons is Paula's memory which has spurred us on to be bigger and better and more innovative in everything we do.
She puts our lives and struggle in perspective; I know that I am fortunate enough to have the opportunities to achieve anything I want too, opportunities that Paula never had a chance to realise.
She is a constant inspiration to us and as we continue to grow and move towards national independence she is always in our thoughts.
Paula will remain many things to many people, a friend, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a sister, but to us she will always be our inspiration.
Paula’s mother and father, Pauline and Bosco will receive a presentation on Paula's behalf at the ‘Celebrating the Women of Struggle’ Dinner Dance this Saturday night 15th May 2010 in the Fir Trees Hotel, Strabane.
2 comments:
A very moving tribute to such a popular young republican.
Many thanks to Ogra Shinn Fein and Barry Mc Colgan from the Murphy and Mc Colgan Family for this touching tribute to Paula. We know Paula would have been very honoured to receive this acknowledgement.
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