My great love, Rosey Kirwan, has died of cancer aged 52. She was a much-admired socialist, teacher, union activist, Irish rebel, fun-lover and supporter of Socialist Worker. She was a regular on demonstrations and protests, from the Irish hunger strikes of 1981 and the miners' strike of 1984-85 to the Stop the War movement and the recent anti-cuts, anti-privatisation and anti-fascist protests.
She occupied the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) as a student in 1981, making a circle of friends who remained close to her all her life. Once she began working, Rosey organised a unionisation drive at the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, recruiting 50 staff to the Transport and General Workers' Union (now Unite) and holding joint meetings with HMV workers and Harrods staff. She gave birth to her daughter, Sinead, in 1985 and managed to carry on these activities while bringing her up.
Born into an Irish working-class family in Nottingham, Rosey was the eldest daughter of six children and was raised from the age of nine by her single mum. She learned her Irish republican politics from her mother's family. Rosey was serious about education. It transformed her life and she fought to give her students the opportunities she had enjoyed while never ceasing to develop her own skills.
As a teacher and trade union member at Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Westminster Kingsway colleges in London, she displayed a remarkable talent for inspiring student and younger teachers. Colleagues were amazed by her ability to get young people talking, reading and writing. At the same time Rosey was immensely practical about achieving the best results for students.
As well as her commitments to trade union work and socialist politics, she loved reading, was a great traveller, went walking and enjoyed music, art, film and theatre. One of her great loves was food and cooking, and she would always seek out new restaurants, recipes and ingredients. She always dressed well and cared about her appearance, which was above all marked by her lovely red hair.
Rosey did not skimp on life. She remained forever young at heart, doing everything with a ready laugh and a thick application of red lipstick. She was argumentative, unafraid, glamorous and fun, and she endured a dreadful final illness with typical grace and courage.
She is survived by me, Sinead, my children, Ellie and Danny, whom she helped to bring up, and her mother, brothers and sisters.