John McCarthy - Madpride Ireland has died

omerin

Announced on the Last Word on Today FM that John McCarthy, founder of MadPride Ireland has died.

http://www.madprideireland.ie

http://www.newstalk.ie/2010/programmes/all-programmes/breakfast/john-mccarthy-of-mad-pride-ireland/

Came across as a decent man whenever I heard him speak.

Speaking about him shortly on the Last Word

May he rest in peace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qySFcsLTSb8

lilmissprincess

RIP.
Had a meeting with him once with regard to setting up mental health group in college, I didn't agree with his viewpoint but he was a lovely man and did a lot of good work.

dh0661

omerin wrote: »

May he rest in peace

He will

NoamZinn

I wrote a tribute piece for him for my blog which also appeared in the Evening Echo in Cork

This is my piece about John McCarthy which appeared in the Evening Echo on Thursday the 12th of January.

I first met John McCarthy in May of last year outside the Bishop Lucey park on Grand Parade. I had just heard him make a speech about using cannabis medicinally, to treat his motor neuron disease. He was speaking at an event to legalise cannabis – an annual event that takes place in Cork and Dublin.
While maybe not his typical audience he clearly enjoyed speaking on the subject and many in attendance were genuinely moved by his story.
He spoke intelligently and logically, and while not advocating or denouncing cannabis recreationally, he spoke honestly about the medical benefits he was getting from it. The benefits included cannabis allowing him to temporarily walk and offering some pain relief. I had read some of his articles in this paper on the subject, and heard one or two things about the man from friends, upon hearing him speak and talking briefly with him afterwards, I understood clearly why many respected him. I was pleased a man of his calibre was speaking honestly on a sometimes taboo subject,
I stopped by briefly at Fitzgerald’s park last year for the Mad Pride day and was highly impressed with the event. The people I spoke to about the event couldn’t have had higher praise for John and what he had done with the movement since 2008.
Now is not the time to think of such matters, but Mad Pride 2012 will hopefully be on the cards, to continue his legacy.
What Mad Pride and his other work including his writings The Human Condition did to highlight the issues of mental illness, and bring them out in the open is only of benefit to society.
Seeing him on RTE back in September last year in the documentary ‘Behind the Walls’ reminded me about the seriousness of the issues he campaigned for.
I can’t claim to be a friend of John’s: we spoke occasionally on-line and in person, though generally short conversations each time he left an impression. I have no doubt many will believe that he was an honest and active campaigner for the issues he felt needed to be addressed.
The most recent and sadly now last time we spoke in person, was when he dropped in to the Occupy Cork camp on South Mall back in November. He addressed all those attending that day’s general assembly, and he spoke as ever honestly on a range of social issues. He was well received by all and was greeted with a massive round of applause. Again he had left an impression, and not just on me.
Facebook has been full of messages of condolences and remembrance. When I see what others are saying it’s comforting to know he touched many people’s lives.
People like John are hard to come by and on a week when we also lost an honest journalist in Mary Raftery, one can only hope there are more people out there who’ll tell it like it is.

Dean820

I voted for him.