Northern Ireland

Frances Smith: Working-class heroine of Ballymurphy

Frances Smith
Frances Smith Frances Smith

FRANCES Smith was a "loving, selfless, powerhouse of a woman" who dedicated herself to making life better for those around her.

Raised in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast during the worst years of the Troubles, she knew the value of community solidarity in the face of hardship and was determined that the next generation would have a brighter future.

One of eight children born to Josie and Davy Hawkins in Ballymurphy Crescent, she had watched her father give up his time to train young people in Corpus Christi boxing club.

Frances would go on to leave her own remarkable legacy for the area's youth through Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh.

Although not gaeilgeoirs themselves, she and her husband Marty were among a group of parents who decided that Ballymurphy deserved and needed its own Irish language primary school and fought to make it a reality.

From just a handful of pupils in the early days, it recently celebrated 25 years of growth with the ringing endorsement of education inspectors.

Frances was like a second mother to many of the pupils, working for years as a dinner lady in the bunscoil and as a caretaker in local nurseries.

And her desire to help others was not confined to young people.

Along with other members of the Christian prayer group which played a central part in her life, she would always have an eye out for those who were alone or struggling.

Many's the envelope of money that was pushed through a letterbox when times were tough.

In recent years, Frances and Marty - a team in the true sense of the word - also had the idea of providing Christmas dinners in the Upper Springfield area.

Starting with around 30 people, the service is now in its fourth year and has grown to feed more than 100 annually.

The couple were blessed with three boys, Máirtín, Seosamh and Micheál, who have followed the example of their mother.

This can be seen in the incredible success of the Donate4Dáithí campaign, in support of Frances's little grandchild who is waiting for a heart transplant.

Frances Smith with her grandson Dáithí Mac Gabhann
Frances Smith with her grandson Dáithí Mac Gabhann Frances Smith with her grandson Dáithí Mac Gabhann

Dáithí Mac Gabhann, who recently celebrated his fifth birthday, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and has since become the face of an enormous community-led effort to promote organ donation.

His courage and smiles have inspired thousands to back a 'soft opt-out' system, which would create a presumption that organs are donated after death unless a person or their family objects.

With legislation now before the assembly, the goal is finally close to becoming reality.

Frances threw herself into the campaign with the energy she applied to everything in her life and was a constant source of strength and support to her son Máirtín and his partner Seph.

Máirtín said his determination to keep knocking on doors and not take no for an answer can be traced to his mother.

"She was an incredible person, she was always thinking of others," he said.

“The inspiration that my mother has given me is something I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I did not realise how lucky I was and I am grateful for the way I was raised and the values that were instilled in us."

Seph also said Frances was "a fantastic role model for her community, an inspiration to myself and countless others".

"If she ever got wind of anyone in a wee bit of trouble, she was there with bells on. Getting Christmas dinners and presents out to those in need, saying prayers for everyone who needed them, always there for a cup of tea and wise words of advice.

"When things were tough because of Dáithí's ill health, at times it felt as though we were shrouded in constant darkness. Frances was a beacon of light."

Friend Liam Stone also said: "Ballymurphy has lost one of our champions, a true working class hero, a brave Irish woman."

Frances was only 55 when she died on October 1, having received the all-clear three times from kidney cancer before finally succumbing to the disease.

Selfless to the end, her concern only concern after losing a kidney was that she would be unable to be a donor in the event of Daithi ever needing a transplant.

Family and friends held a private funeral service followed by an emotional farewell with her community at her front door in Whitecliff Crescent.

They will also remember her on her birthday next month when they will donate blood as a family, in recognition of how her own life was improved by blood transfusions over the last year.