Sir, – There can be no better thing than that a person “lay down their life for a friend”. This phrase comes to mind as I remember Mary Raftery. For she gave her life for survivors. Her journalistic skills she used to uncover secrets that were a blemish on the Catholic Church in Ireland. Not only on the church but on the State, who in collusion failed to protect its children.
So that Mary Raftery’s life-work was for us survivors, whom she acknowledged as her sisters and brothers, friends. She knew and felt that pain that is within us and her controlled rage against this injustice led to Ireland beginning to cleanse itself from the evil that is called “secrecy”, “cover-up”.
Mary was clear about “truth”, clear about “transparency”, clear about “justice”. And she was equally clear that the “pen is mightier than the sword”. She was clear that facts, written and expressed with skill, intelligence, urgency and passion would achieve more than mega-confrontations or violent acts. Her research – uncovering, discovering and laid before us – would achieve multiple agendas. It would expose truth, uncover lies, show cover-up, give courage to survivors, give voice to the voiceless, vindicate survivors, and form a bond between us that allowed us to hold our heads up high.
Mary, our sister, has died and we are in mourning. She gave her life to survivors of abuse. She showed a way forward. The only way forward: find the facts/truth; uncover that which is kept secret; focus on “justice-making”, support the voiceless, the victims.
Journalist of excellence, may you rest in peace. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – As concerts manager for the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra in 1972/73 I met cellist Mary Raftery, representing students at the (then) College of Music, who urged me to give student discounts on concert tickets. She was pushing an open door, but it was the way she pushed it that was so impressive: her persistence and the belief in the rightness of what she was doing, which were the hallmarks of her later career. It was clear even then that hers was a formidable personality. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – It was with great sadness I heard of the death of Mary Raftery. What a great loss to this world. She achieved much for many who had no voice. Mary was a woman with great moral courage who could have taken the easy option and ignored the victims of church and State. She was a wonderful example of the courage and tenacity of the investigative journalist – which is sadly lacking in a lot of organisations.
A fitting tribute to Mary’s memory would be for someone to continue her wonderful work. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mary Raftery. Her passing is a huge loss in the real sense of the word. She was an extraordinary journalist and broadcaster. Her encyclopedic knowledge of her subject matter was second to none. She was intelligent, brave and probably most notably relentless in the search of the truth. She will be sorely missed and has left a hole which will be impossible to fill. – Yours, etc,