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Veteran community activist Fergus McCabe, who died during the week at age 71, was part of the “beating heart” of Dublin city center, said President Michael D. Higgins.
In his main tributes to the late activist and social worker, who was at the forefront of the battle against drug abuse that devastated the capital’s working-class communities for decades, Higgins said they will regret it across the country.
“It is not only in Dublin city center, where he was part of the beating heart of community campaigns, that the news of Fergus McCabe’s death will have been heard with great regret,” said the President.
“It will be in communities across Ireland with which he shared his knowledge and deep commitment to tackling issues, particularly drug dependence.
“Those of us who knew him will remember his energy and passion for justice, advocating for inclusion and equality.”
Driving force
Mr. McCabe, from Marino in North Dublin, was a driving force in the Inner City Network of Organizations and the CityWide Drug Crisis Campaign.
Other initiatives in which he was heavily involved included Youth at Risk, the National Substance Abuse Strategy Committee, and the National Oversight Group on the implementation of the National Drug Strategy.
Higgins said the activist “chose hope over cynicism” while “advancing the goals of countless” social justice and equality projects through his “vision and energy.”
“Fergus McCabe’s great gift was his genius in translating commitments on paper into the practical life of community members,” he added.
McCabe’s family could be “extremely proud of the legacy he has left, through his tireless campaign for social justice and his exemplary actions of solidarity, sustained by his unwavering belief in the good of humanity and the potential of young people, regardless of its origin. Higgins said.
“There are many who will miss him deeply.”
‘Hero of the working class’
Dublin Bay North TD and former minister for the national drug strategy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin described McCabe as a “passionate and committed activist for all things good and decent” who “dedicated his life to causes and people that others thought were beyond the hope. “
Sinn Féin and Dublin Central TD leader Mary Lou McDonald described McCabe as “a hero of the working class” and “a completely decent man” who was “loved by all”.
McCabe, who died suddenly Thursday after a long illness, is survived by his wife Helena and their three children Ella, Kathy and Eoin.
His family has asked anyone who wants to attend his funeral on Monday to stand along the courtship route between Kirwan Funeral Home, Fairview Strand and Glasnevin Crematorium, via Summerhill Parade, due to public health restrictions.
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