Veteran republican activist Rita O'Hare has died at the age of 80.
Born in Belfast, she was involved in the civil rights movement and was the General Secretary of Sinn Féin as well as a party representative in the US.
She was arrested in Northern Ireland in 1972 for the attempted murder of a British soldier the previous year, but fled across the border after being released on bail to avoid prosecution.
Ms O'Hare later served three years in Limerick Prison for smuggling explosives for the IRA and was released in 1979.
She later moved to the US where she spent 20 years working as a senior Sinn Féin representative, running the party's office in Washington.
During that time she was photographed meeting Joe Biden and Barack Obama along with former party leader Gerry Adams.
While in the US she remained on the run as she was still wanted by police in connection with the attempted murder of British Army warrant officer Frazer Paton in Belfast in October 1971.
She returned to Dublin four years ago but could not go back to her home in Belfast because of fear she would be arrested and charged in connection with the 1971 attack.
Paying tribute, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald described Rita O'Hare as a powerhouse within the Irish republican struggle and "an important figure in the peace process".
Ms O'Hare was also editor of An Phoblacht.
She is survived by her husband, Brendan, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Her previous husband, the prominent republican and journalist, Gerry O'Hare, died in 2020.
