The Newry and Armagh community is mourning the loss of a true champion, as former Sinn Féin MP Mickey Brady has passed away. Sinn Féin has paid warm tributes, describing him as a “giant of the community” who always put the needs of ordinary people first.
Brady served as an MP for almost a decade, having previously been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said he dedicated his entire life to the people of Newry and Armagh, working tirelessly to improve their lives.
Before entering politics, Brady spent over 25 years helping vulnerable people in his native Newry, ensuring they could access housing and benefits. “All too often the only thing that stood between a family and destitution was an intervention by Mickey Brady,” said his party colleague, Dáire Hughes.
As an elected representative, Brady served on Stormont’s health committee and as deputy chair of the Department for Social Development committee. In 2015, he took on the role of MP for Newry and Armagh, a position he said made him “immensely proud.”
However, Brady’s path to Westminster was not without challenges. During his election campaign, he received three death threats within 24 hours, including a warning that a bomb had been left at his family home. Despite this “terrifying experience,” he vowed not to be intimidated and continued to serve his community.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill praised Brady’s unwavering dedication, saying he had “given his time generously to everyone who sought his help.” She remembered him for his “sharp wit and endless stories,” as well as his ability to “lift spirits and bring smiles wherever he went.”
After his retirement from elected politics in 2024, Brady was replaced by Dáire Hughes, who described him as a “mentor and friend.” Hughes said much of Sinn Féin’s support in the area was “due in huge part to Mickey Brady” and that he would be “forever remembered.”
The outpouring of grief and loss following Brady’s passing is a testament to the esteem in which he was held by the people of Newry and Armagh. As Sinn Féin MP Dáire Hughes said, “He’s a Newry institution, a proud Ballybot man, the people’s champion.”