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wholly ill-suited to their needs and Lady McCorkell began a "Thursday Club" to bring together the disabled from across the city. These early beginnings were to result, after victory in battles financial and political, in the building of the
Glenbrook Day Centre. It was established on land accessible to all parts of the city, but originally denied them because it had been designated for Protestant housing. Additionally, the
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68:, and his wife Marguerita Agnes, daughter of John Currie, of London. Her obituary noted that "Aileen had no memories of India, but a lifelong fear of snakes was reliably attributed to an incident in her infancy when a cobra came up through the bath’s plughole, only to be quickly dispatched by a capable ayah with a meat cleaver."
310:"she was as prepared to take an army commander to task for exhibiting a red cross on an armoured vehicle which was clearly being used to block the advance of rioters, as she was to telephone the Bogside Committee to ask them to send someone down to stop looting of relief clothing and food from the Red Cross aid store."
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in 1986, Sylvia, Countess of
Limerick, reminded the audience of Lady McCorkell's invariable habit of urging the council to stop worrying whether there should be two or three buttons on the sleeve of their uniform, and get on with doing something useful. There are only 30 holders of the Badge at any
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Her obituary noted that her early work focussed on establishing welfare services across the city of a kind now taken for granted but then notably absent; in areas of considerable poverty and dilapidation such as
Catholic Bogside. In particular, the physically handicapped who were confined to homes
126:. "She was commissioned after four years in the ranks – an experience which left her with a lifelong distrust of women in authority – and posted to North of England Coastal Command". She stayed in service until the end of 1946. After a brief spell as a school matron at
379:"The truce which followed was short-lived and within a month members of the North Derry Pony Club, who were having their annual camp on the McCorkell farm, woke to find soldiers had arrived secretly in the night and were shaving out of their horses' feed buckets"
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areas became 'no go' areas to the security forces she developed a lifelong admiration and respect for the strength of character and unfailing good humour of the Derry people in the face of continual adversity."
321:"found herself dealing with everything from finding accommodation for those made homeless by bombs to finding a wig for a girl shaved, tarred and feathered for going to the pub with soldiers. She was in the
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and Lady McCorkell agreed to host, at the family home near the
Londonderry/Donegal border, clandestine peace talks between the British government and the Provisional IRA, whose delegation included a young
99:"In an Anglo-Irish society in which those "who did not go" to the war were long remembered, it never occurred to her that she should not do her bit, but ironically her early attempts to join the
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Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's
Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 24261
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Lady McCorkell's husband predeceased her in 2006 and she was survived by three sons, a daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She died on 25 December 2010 at the age of 89.
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parade of 12 August 1969. Here she learnt quickly to lose her identity and to help treat, without judgement, the seriously injured casualties who were unwilling to go to hospital.
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296:"She did not share the temporary euphoria that greeted the arrival of the British Army to protect the Catholic communities, and her foreboding was soon vindicated. As the
245:, she had never imbibed the political and religious intolerance of the North, realising instead that, by its principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality, the
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could play a vital role in
Northern Ireland. Accordingly she steered the Derry branch down a middle way of absolute neutrality between two warring communities."
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group in 1962, which became a fully-fledged branch in 1965, with her as its first
President. She also became a member of the Northern Ireland Council of the
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and the "re-occupation" of the no-go areas. Thus, she embarked on further tortuous negotiations, this time with soldiers, about the free movement of
333:. She would never be drawn on that terrible day, not being prepared to see beyond the stark tragedy of so many young people losing their lives."
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First Aid Post, in
Westland Street near the Bogside Inn, that she and her deputy made their way amid the ferocious fighting which followed the
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Lady McCorkell represented
Northern Ireland on the London Council of the British Red Cross and when she was subsequently awarded the coveted
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346:. It was their clear-sighted impartiality and pragmatism, which led to the McCorkells agreeing to host the secret peace talks. Beyond
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348:"greeting the parties, and providing a chocolate cake, the McCorkells left the negotiators alone to get on with it"
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She signed the
Official Secrets Act and was trained, on the then highly Hush-Hush Radar, as a Filter Plotter at
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279:"a connection which was to be vital when serious trouble began to engulf the city from October 1968 onwards"
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375:, who disclosed extracts from Lady McCorkell's private journal about the event for the very first time.
273:, this put Lady McCorkell into contact with other voluntary organisations working in Derry, notably the
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Booth; 18 September 1921 – 25 December 2010) was the founder and first President of the British
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111:(the WAAF) in 1941", hiding her privileged upbringing in a castle from the other girls in the ranks.
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By the end of 1970, bombings took violence in Derry in a sinister new direction, and Lady McCorkell
107:
were rebuffed precisely because she came from southern Ireland. She was eventually accepted for the
560:
Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 1, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 833
367:, covered these historic talks and visited Ballyarnett to film, which had by now been sold by the
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and never forgot ferrying a distraught young priest back through the dark, fearful streets to the
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Having broken her back hunting, she turned to voluntary work in 1961. She founded the Derry City
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Following an explosion of violence, in June 1972, in which hundreds had been killed,
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next to a girl who was having hers done "to visit her man in the H Blocks in
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91:. She was at a finishing school in Paris in 1939 at the outbreak of war.
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When she was two years old, the family returned to Ireland to live at
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McCorkell was born on 18 September 1921 in the Indian hill station of
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After the war, when back in Ireland, she met, and, in 1950, married,
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one time, the last Northern Ireland recipient, before her, being the
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Her experiences during the Troubles were recorded in a short memoir,
475:, serving in this capacity for 25 years. In 1994, he was appointed
40:, hosted secret peace talks between the British Government and the
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I Owe My Life: A Celebration of 125 Years of the British Red Cross
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For her work during the Troubles she was awarded, in 1972, the
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family. The episode also included an interview with their son
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60:, the younger daughter of Lt-Col Ernest Brabazon Booth
314:"cheerful ruffian with a club was sent to stand guard"
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before being educated at Dundalk Grammar School and
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Red Cross Badge of Honour for Distinguished Service
621:"Northern light goes out after decades of service"
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487:. Aileen's elder sister, Joan Booth, married
435:She always recalled having her hair done for
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389:and the return of the temporarily impounded
36:. In 1972, she and her husband, Colonel Sir
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781:People of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
241:"Brought up in the Irish Republic before
228:Learn how and when to remove this message
448:Queen's Badge of Honour of the Red Cross
675:"Medals and badges | British Red Cross"
519:
403:is neutral 'even in Northern Ireland'"
17:Aileen Allen McCorkell, Lady McCorkell
489:Ronald Colville, 2nd Baron Clydesmuir
473:Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry
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786:People educated at Westonbirt School
707:, gov.uk. Accessed 20 November 2022.
166:adding citations to reliable sources
599:"Obituary: Aileen, Lady McCorkell"
541:"Obituary: Aileen, Lady McCorkell"
118:and was eventually stationed near
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508:Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim
479:. Another notable member of the
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656:Story behind secret peace talks
153:needs additional citations for
269:established services, such as
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428:. In 1975, she was appointed
308:She would not take sides and
44:, whose delegation included
381:. This was the build-up to
109:Women's Auxiliary Air Force
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705:UK Government Announcement
661:24 September 2019 at the
130:she returned to Ireland.
746:Daily Telegraph Obituary
410:A Red Cross in My Pocket
83:. She was taught by a
625:ChurchNewsIreland.org
471:. In 1975, he became
485:Sir Dudley McCorkell
162:improve this article
776:People from Dundalk
453:Duchess of Abercorn
353:In September 2019,
339:Colonel Sir Michael
751:The Times Obituary
685:on 3 January 2011.
383:Operation Motorman
177:"Aileen McCorkell"
601:. 14 January 2011
465:Michael McCorkell
437:Buckingham Palace
259:British Red Cross
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243:World War II
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160:Please help
155:verification
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134:The Troubles
113:
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81:County Louth
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16:
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771:2010 deaths
766:1921 births
727:15 November
630:15 November
605:15 November
546:15 November
483:family was
393:ambulance.
365:(Episode 2)
344:Gerry Adams
46:Gerry Adams
760:Categories
514:References
188:newspapers
128:Cheltenham
120:Nottingham
89:Westonbirt
58:Ootacamund
52:Early life
32:branch in
502:Her son,
481:McCorkell
441:Long Kesh
401:Red Cross
397:Red Cross
369:McCorkell
360:Spotlight
267:Red Cross
255:Red Cross
247:Red Cross
85:Governess
30:Red Cross
659:Archived
420:Honours
331:Creggan
323:Bogside
302:Creggan
298:Bogside
202:scholar
124:Belfast
105:Belfast
77:Dundalk
459:Family
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504:David
495:Death
373:David
355:BBCNI
209:JSTOR
195:books
101:Wrens
34:Derry
729:2022
632:2022
607:2022
548:2022
477:KCVO
300:and
181:news
66:RAMC
443:".
430:OBE
357:'s
325:on
164:by
103:in
62:DSO
25:née
20:OBE
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