As this issue of The Leither went to press (No. 148), we heard of the passing of the wonderful Mary Moriarty. It was not sudden, but shocking none the less.
Without her crusading fundraising work in our community for local charities and a whole bunch of other Leith based initiatives, the landscape would be a very different one today.Whether it was hosting legendary Tea Dances, Ladies Days, or climbing into skips to find ‘antiques’ to sell at her many car boot sales she was relentless… Her masterpiece, along with a cabal of very formidable women and many others, was to bring Leith Festival & Gala Day out of the shadows and into the light.
To see her on the Links on Gala day was to see the whole of her: In vintage haute couture and workie’s yellow jacket snogging policemen whilst picking up litter with her stick and black bag - the while acting as the most charming ambassador for all that Leith stands for. She never laboured us with the logistics of getting the whole show on the road. Not only in this instance;, She was over everything that might benefit Leith and its people.
All of us in Leith will be diminished by her passing, she was a one off*.
I’ll lay favourable odds on us not seeing her likes again
Billy
*Not strictly true, she had an identical twin!
N.B. Leither No: 148 is out now and we shall spend more time with Mary in No 149.
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