REQUIEM Mass for community stalwart and veteran human rights activist Maura 'Agnes' McCrory (née Fitzsimons) took place this afternoon.
Mrs McCrory was a founding member of the Relatives Action Committee, which was set up in 1976 to defend political status for republican prisoners. The organisation was a forerunner to the National H-Block/Armagh Campaign, of which she was also a veteran.
Ruth Tallon, an tAth, Piaras Ó Duill and Maura McCrory accept the Andersonstown News Award from Seán Mac Aindreasa. (Andersonstown News, 7 March 1981, p.8.)
A leading feminist, Mrs McCrory was amongst the founders of the Falls Women's Centre. The Centre was established to improve the quality of life for women and their families living in areas of extreme deprivation and those most affected by the conflict.
The 81-year-old passed away at her Dermott Hill home on 15 February surrounded by her family.
Her tricolour-draped coffin, led by a lone piper, made its way from her home to Corpus Christi Church in Springhill for Requiem Mass on Monday.
Born on 4 May 1940, Maura lived her early life at 37 Rodney Parade in the St James' area.
Fr Paddy McCafferty told mourners how she attended St Kevin's Primary School, but left at the "tender age of 14 to work in the mills".
"Often she would speak of the horrendous conditions endured by the women, many of whom worked in their bare feet," he said.
Fr McCafferty described how Maura had worked a "succession of low-paid jobs to feed her family."
Maura McCrory's funeral cortege
She met her husband, Alec McCrory, at a local dancehall called "The Jig" on the corner of Coates Street.
"They would become lifelong partners, man and wife," Fr McCafferty said.
He said the pair were told by a doctor that they would not have children, but would go on to have nine kids "despite this expert advice".
The family had their first home in Balmoral Street in the Grosvenor area, before settling in Dermott Hill Road.
Fr McCafferty said Maura "worked tirelessly on behalf of women’s rights”, providing "support and assistance" to many during "very difficult times in their lives".
Requiem Mass was followed by a Service at Roselawn Crematorium.
Ahead of the funeral the Falls Women's Centre released a moving video tribute to Mrs McCrory.
Maura McCrory speaks at a Hunger Strike rally on 24 May 1981 at Dunville Park 
In a statement, the organisation said: "It is with great sadness, respect and love that we remember our sister and founding member, Maura McCrory.
"Maura was a mother, a wife, a sister, a community activist, a wise counsel, a champion for women’s rights, a great and true friend to the Falls Women’s Centre and every woman who was fortunate enough to have met her, and above all she was a strong Irish woman.
"Maura had a massive influence on many of the women who were lucky enough to cross her path. She was a humanitarian with immense empathy for all and in particular the Palestinian people. She was full of fun and mischief. She was unafraid and brave. Her qualities were immeasurable. We will never get to the depths of Maura McCrory. She was a woman who has made her mark on the world. We are thankful for her life."
Maura McCrory (right) protesting in solidarity with Palestine in 2005
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams described Maura McCrory's passing as "a blow to her family and to the West Belfast community."
