Tributes have been paid to cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan who died early this morning.
The Limerick mother-of-two was 48-years-old.
Ms Phelan grabbed the attention of the public after bringing a High Court case over how her cervical smears were handled, which ultimately prompted a series of reviews of the Republic's cervical cancer screening programme CervicalCheck.
Her case prompted other women to come forward and raised questions about the quality of the programme, about how women should be involved and informed about their own healthcare, and the issue of open disclosure.
Despite receiving a terminal cervical cancer diagnosis, Ms Phelan actively campaigned for better healthcare and better accountability in the healthcare system.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin paid tribute to Ms Phelan, describing her as a “woman of extraordinary courage”.
“This is very, very sad news,” he told RTÉ Radio.
“I think she was a woman of extraordinary courage and integrity, who stood up for the women of Ireland, but not just the women of Ireland, but women globally.”
He extended his “deepest sympathies” to her family.
“I think in the history of this country, I think her actions, particularly in terms of not signing a confidentiality agreement at that particular time, and her statement, and on the steps of the High Court, will live long in the memory as as an example of someone who stood up against the system and the normal conventions of actions and so on to say ‘no, I’m not signing that, I want this revealed in the public interest’ and she stood up for the public interest.”
President Michael D Higgins also paid tribute to Ms Phelan.
"It is with the deepest sense of sadness that people across Ireland and beyond will have heard of the death of Vicky Phelan," he said.
"All of us who had the privilege of meeting Vicky will have been struck by the powerful inner strength and dignity with which she not only faced her own illness, but with the sense of commitment to the public good and the rights of others with which she campaigned.
"Vicky, in all of this, made an enormous contribution to Irish society. Thanks to her tireless efforts, despite the terrible personal toll she herself had to carry, so many women's lives have been protected, and will be protected in the future.
"She will be deeply missed, by all of those who were in awe of her courage, her resilience, offered not only to women but to all of us in Ireland.
"She will of course be missed above all by those closest to her. May I express my deepest condolences to Vicky's parents Gaby and John, her husband Jim, her children Amelia and Darragh, and to all of her family and friends."
Dublin's Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said Ms Phelan inspired so many people by her “courageous campaigning”.
“Very sad news,” Mr Coveney wrote on Twitter.
“Vicky Phelan inspired so many people by her courageous campaigning, her warmth and her determination, despite her own illness. Deep condolences to her family.”
Former Labour leader Alan Kelly paid an emotional tribute to his friend, saying the news of her death was “devastating”.
“She was the most incredible human being probably I’ve ever met,” Mr Kelly told RTÉ, as he extended his condolences to her family and fellow campaigners.
“I suppose what’s really shocking today is Vicky always fought back and she was always the most resilient person I’ve ever met.
“I suppose in your heart of hearts you know the day will come but still a shock because she always rebounded so many times.”
Ms Phelan meant “so much to us all”, the director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Orla O’Connor, said.
She wrote on Twitter: “Such incredibly sad news – there aren’t enough words to describe the loss of Vicky Phelan, sincerest sympathies to Vicky’s family and friends, Vicky meant so much to us all and we have so much to thank her for all she did for women in Ireland.”
Dr Gabriel Scally, who led the review into Ireland’s cervical cancer screening programme, paid tribute to Ms Phelan and her impact on Irish healthcare.
“She was a great woman and I’m very privileged to have known her and worked with her on the inquiry and she was enormously helpful to me,” he told RTÉ Radio.
“She has had a remarkable effect, I think, not just around CervicalCheck but some of the things that she exposed, such as the issue of patients being told when something goes wrong, and having a right to know when something goes wrong.”
He said that her work had “really brought women’s health to the fore”.
“I think, in years to come, she’ll be regarded as having a really seminal influence on healthcare in Ireland and changing it towards a much more patient, sensitive and respectful system,” Mr Scally added.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald described Ms Phelan as a “champion of women” who took on the State and won.
Ms McDonald wrote in a post on Twitter: “Ni Bheidh A Leithéid Ann Aris.
“Vicky Phelan, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Champion of Women, Campaigner who took on the State and won. Rest in Peace.”
Ms Phelan was awarded the freedom of Limerick earlier this year, and was named as one of the BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women around the world in 2018.
She "refused to be silent" and the nation is "truly richer" for the contribution she made to Irish life, Irish Cancer Society chief executive Averil Power said.
"Today it is no small understatement to say we are poorer for the loss of Vicky Phelan, but truly richer as a nation for the contribution she so generously made to Irish life," Ms Power said.
"Vicky refused to be silent in the face of great personal challenge and the issues she brought to light changed the course of history for women in Ireland.
"Without her courage and her determination, others would not have known the truth behind the Cervical Check failings."
Ms Phelan Phelan was called "our biggest big sister" by the group representing women and families affected by Ireland's cervical cancer controversy.
In a statement, the 221+ CervicalCheck Patient Support Group asked that the cervical cancer programme not fail others in her memory.
"Today we have lost our biggest big sister. We are shattered," it said. "She told us this day would come but she fought so hard and so well that we couldn't let ourselves think it would happen.
"Our hearts go out to Jim, Amelia and Darragh and to Vicky's mam and dad, her sisters and brothers and her extended family. Our pain is suffocating just now but it is nothing compared to their loss. Vicky raised her voice in 2018 because she wanted those in power, those with responsibility to learn from their mistakes.
"In her own words, two years ago, she said: I don't want your apologies. I don't want your tributes. I don't want your aide de camp at my funeral. I don't want your accolades or your broken promises. I want action. I want change. I want accountability.
"Let those words be her legacy. Cervical screening saves lives. It failed Vicky in life. In her memory those with responsibility must ensure that it never fails others."
