Ladies with Letters pay tribute to ‘wonderful’ Erin

The mother-of-four, from Tandragee, had courageously battled advanced stage cervical cancer since her diagnosis in 2021.

Last October, a major cervical screening services review was ordered into the results of 17,500 smear tests carried out within the Southern Trust.

That review led to the formation of the Ladies with Letters group, whose members have been left heartbroken by Erin’s death.

“There are no words to describe the wonderful woman Erin was and how she battled her illness with such dignity,” the group posted on social media.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Erin's husband Trevor, children Matthew (his partner Lesley-Ann), Liam, Keelan, Connie and family circle.

“Such a privilege to have known you Erin...you will never be forgotten.”

ABC councillor Julie Flaherty, who was a personal friend, also paid a heartfelt tribute.

“Erin was just an absolute lady, a true warrior in every sense and a battle hardened campaigner during what were her hardest days - and always Erin did it for others.

“It has been borne out in the hundreds of tributes that have been made from her death on Saturday by her family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and really the whole Tandragee and wider district.

“Along with the ladies with letters, we will continue the quest for answers and, indeed, a public inquiry into all of this for our Erin.

“We met Erin on the back of the review…she came along and told us her story and how not one, not two, but three of her smear tests were read incorrectly in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

“Had these been read correctly, Erin would have been in a very different position.

“We must remember all these women went and attended their smear tests when they were called. They are in this through no fault of their own.

“She battled so hard, she was adamant she was meeting the Health Minister and we did take a group of ladies to meet Robin Swann back in April.

“She came along and she was incredibly ill. She sat in that room and she told Robin and his officials the whole timeline of her story, and what she wanted to do for all the other women that were caught up in this.”

Councillor Flaherty revealed that Erin had also been looking forward to meeting the new Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, early next month.

“Erin was a great support to all the women and a great advocate for what she saw that was wrong and what we needed to put right.

“This cannot be allowed to happen again. Women have been let down dreadfully here. We must do better for these ladies.”

Erin’s funeral took place on Tuesday at Milne’s Funeral Home in Lurgan. She was laid to rest in Lurgan Cemetery.