Michael O'Riordan
Encyclopedia
Michael O'Riordan was the founder of the Communist Party of Ireland
(3rd) and also fought with the Connolly Column
in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War
.
of Ballingeary-Gougane Barra. Despite his parents being native speakers of the Irish language
, it was not until O'Riordan was interned in the Curragh camp during the Second World War that he learnt Irish, being taught by fellow internee Máirtín Ó Cadhain
who went on to lecture in Trinity College, Dublin
.
As a teenager, he joined the republican youth movement, Fianna Éireann
, and then the Irish Republican Army. The IRA at the time was inclined towards left wing politics and socialism
. Much of its activity at the time concerned street fighting with the quasi-fascist Blueshirt movement and O'Riordan fought Blueshirt fascism on the streets of Cork City in 1933-34. O'Riordan was friends with left-wing inclined republicans such as Peadar O'Donnell
and Frank Ryan
, and in 1934, he followed them into the Republican Congress
- a short-lived socialist republican party.
in 1935 while still in the IRA and worked on the communist newspaper Socialist Voice
. In 1937, following the urgings of Peadar O'Donnell, several hundred Irishmen, mostly IRA or ex-IRA men, went to fight for the Spanish Republic
in the Spanish Civil War
with the XVth International Brigade. They were motivated in part by enmity towards the 800 or so Blueshirts, led by Eoin O'Duffy
who went to Spain to fight on the "nationalist" side in the Irish Brigade
. O'Riordan accompanied a party led by Frank Ryan
. In the Republic's final offensive of July 25, 1938, O'Riordan carried the flag of Catalunya across the River Ebro
. On August 1, he was severely injured by shrapnel on the Ebro front. He was repatriated to Ireland the following month, after the International Brigades were disbanded.
In 1938 O'Riordan was offered an Irish Army
Commission by the Irish Free State
but chose instead to train IRA units in Cork. As a result of his IRA activities, during the Second World War
, or the Emergency as it was known in neutral Ireland, he was interned in the Curragh internment camp
from 1939 until 1943 where he was Officer Commanding of the Cork Hut and partook in Máirtín Ó Cadhain
's Gaelic League classes as well as publishing Splannc (Irish for "Spark," named after Lenin's newspaper).
Branch of the Labour Party and in 1945 was a founding secretary of the Cork Socialist Party
, whose other notable members included Derry Kelleher, Kevin Neville and Máire Keohane-Sheehan.
O'Riordan subsequently worked as a bus conductor in Cork
and was active in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU). In 1947 he stood as a Cork Socialist Party candidate in Cork and afterwards moved to Dublin where he lived in Victoria St with his wife Kay, continued to work as a bus conductor and remained active in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union.
In 1947, O'Riordan was a founding secretary of the Irish Workers' League and General Secretary thereafter, and of its successor organisation the Irish Workers' Party from 1962-1970.
In the 1960s, he was a pivotal figure in the Dublin Housing Action Committee
which agitated for clearances of Dublin's slums and for the building of social housing. There, he befriended Fr Austin Flannery, leading the then Finance Minister and future Taoiseach
Charles Haughey
to dismiss Flannery as "a gullible cleric" while the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Kevin Boland
, described him as a "so-called cleric" for sharing a platform with O'Riordan.
In all he ran for election five times, campaigning throughout for the establishment of a socialist republic in Ireland
but given Ireland's Catholic
conservatism
and fear of communism
, he did so without success. He did, however, receive playwright Sean O'Casey
's endorsement in 1951.
O'Riordan's participation in the Spanish Civil War
was always an important part of his political identity. In 1966 he attended the International Brigades
' Reunion in Berlin and was instrumental in having Frank Ryan
's remains repatriated from Germany to Ireland in 1979.
He was a member of the Irish Chile Solidarity Committee and attended the 1st Party Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in 1984. He also campaigned on behalf of the Birmingham 6 and attended their Appeal trial in 1990. O'Riordan served between 1970-1983 he served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland
and from 1983-1988 he served as National Chairman of the party and published many articles under the auspices of the CPI.
His last major public outing came in 2005 at the re-dedication of the memorial outside Dublin's Liberty Hall to the Irish veterans of the Spanish Civil War. He and other veterans were received by President of Ireland
Mary McAleese
. He was also presented with Cuba's Medal of Friendship by the Cuban Consul Teresita Trujillo to Ireland on behalf of Cuban President Fidel Castro
.
, O'Riordan was approached by IRA
leaders Cathal Goulding
and Seamus Costello
with a view to obtaining guns from the Soviet KGB
to defend Irish republican areas of Belfast
during the communal violence that marked the outbreak of the Troubles
. Mitrokhin alleges that O'Riordan then contacted the Kremlin
, but the consignment of arms did not reach Ireland until 1972. The operation was known as Operation Splash.
The IRA had split in the meantime between the Provisional IRA and the Official IRA
and it was the latter faction who received the Soviet arms. Mitrokhin's allegations were repeated in Boris Yeltsin
's autobiography but are dismissed by some close to O'Riordan who claim he was consistently opposed the use of "armed struggle" in Northern Ireland
.
against Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). An updated version of the book was reprinted in 2005 and was launched by the Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Michael Conaghan at a book launch at SIPTU
headquarters, Liberty Hall
. The book was the inspiration for Irish singer-songwriter Christy Moore
's famous song Viva la Quinta Brigada.
, County Cork
died at their home aged 81. He continued to live in their family home before moving to Glasnevin
in 2000 to be close to his son Manus who lived nearby. He lived there until falling ill in November 2005 and was taken to the Mater Hospital. His health rapidly deteriorated and he quickly developed Alzheimer's disease
. Soon afterwards he was moved to St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park
where he spent the final few months of his life, before his death at the age of 88.
O'Riordan's funeral at Glasnevin Crematorium was attended by over a thousand mourners. Following a wake the previous night at Finglas Rd, hundreds turned up outside the house of his son Manus and traffic ground to a halt as family, friends and comrades - many of whom were waving the red flag of the Communist Party of Ireland
- escorted O'Riordan to Glasnevin Cemetery
. A secular ceremony took place led by Manus O'Riordan (Head of Research at SIPTU) with contributions from O'Riordan's family, Communist Party General Secretary Eugene McCartan and IBMT representative Pauline Frasier.
The funeral congregation included politicians such as Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte
, his predecessor Ruairi Quinn
, party front-bencher Joan Burton
; Sinn Féin
TD Seán Crowe
and councillor Larry O'Toole; ex-Workers' Party
leader Tomás Mac Giolla and former Fianna Fáil
MEP Niall Andrews
. Also in attendance were union leaders Jack O'Connor
(SIPTU), Mick O'Reilly (ITGWU) and David Begg (ICTU). Actors Patrick Bergin
, Jer O'Leary; singer Ronnie Drew
; artist Robert Ballagh
; newsreader Anne Doyle
were also among the mourners. Tributes and were paid by President of Ireland
Mary McAleese
, Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams
and Labour Party TDs Ruairi Quinn
and Michael D. Higgins
.
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
(3rd) and also fought with the Connolly Column
Connolly Column
The Connolly Column was the name given to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the executed leader of the Irish Citizen Army...
in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Early life
O'Riordan was born at 37 Pope's Quay, Cork City, on 11 November 1917. He was the youngest of five children. His parents came from the West Cork GaeltachtGaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
of Ballingeary-Gougane Barra. Despite his parents being native speakers of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, it was not until O'Riordan was interned in the Curragh camp during the Second World War that he learnt Irish, being taught by fellow internee Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain was one of the most prominent Irish language writers of the twentieth century.-Career:Born in Connemara, he became a schoolteacher but was dismissed due to his IRA membership. In the 1930s he served as an IRA recruiting officer, enlisting fellow writer Brendan Behan...
who went on to lecture in Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
As a teenager, he joined the republican youth movement, Fianna Éireann
Fianna Éireann
The name Fianna Éireann , also written Fianna na hÉireann and Na Fianna Éireann , has been used by various Irish republican youth movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries...
, and then the Irish Republican Army. The IRA at the time was inclined towards left wing politics and socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. Much of its activity at the time concerned street fighting with the quasi-fascist Blueshirt movement and O'Riordan fought Blueshirt fascism on the streets of Cork City in 1933-34. O'Riordan was friends with left-wing inclined republicans such as Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell was an Irish republican and socialist activist and writer.-Early life:Peadar O'Donnell was born into an Irish speaking family in Dungloe, County Donegal in northwest Ireland, in 1893. He attended St. Patrick's College, Dublin, where he trained as a teacher...
and Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
, and in 1934, he followed them into the Republican Congress
Republican Congress
The Republican Congress was an Irish republican political organisation founded in 1934, when left-wing republicans left the Irish Republican Army. The Congress was led by such IRA veterans as Peadar O'Donnell, Frank Ryan and George Gilmore. It was a socialist organisation and was dedicated to a...
- a short-lived socialist republican party.
Spanish Civil War and Second World War
O'Riordan joined the Communist Party of IrelandCommunist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
in 1935 while still in the IRA and worked on the communist newspaper Socialist Voice
Socialist Voice
Socialist Voice is a Canada-based web-based publication that describes itself as "Marxist perspectives for the 21st century."It is produced by loose network of Marxists who circulate it at movement events in Canada. Most were formerly members of the Communist League, the sister organization to the...
. In 1937, following the urgings of Peadar O'Donnell, several hundred Irishmen, mostly IRA or ex-IRA men, went to fight for the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
with the XVth International Brigade. They were motivated in part by enmity towards the 800 or so Blueshirts, led by Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
who went to Spain to fight on the "nationalist" side in the Irish Brigade
Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)
The Irish Brigade , fought on the Nationalist side of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The unit was formed wholly of Roman Catholics by the politician Eoin O'Duffy, who had previously organised the banned quasi-fascist Blueshirts and openly fascist Greenshirts in Ireland...
. O'Riordan accompanied a party led by Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
. In the Republic's final offensive of July 25, 1938, O'Riordan carried the flag of Catalunya across the River Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
. On August 1, he was severely injured by shrapnel on the Ebro front. He was repatriated to Ireland the following month, after the International Brigades were disbanded.
In 1938 O'Riordan was offered an Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
Commission by the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
but chose instead to train IRA units in Cork. As a result of his IRA activities, during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, or the Emergency as it was known in neutral Ireland, he was interned in the Curragh internment camp
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp is an army base and military college located in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Army.- Brief history of the Curragh's military heritage :...
from 1939 until 1943 where he was Officer Commanding of the Cork Hut and partook in Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain was one of the most prominent Irish language writers of the twentieth century.-Career:Born in Connemara, he became a schoolteacher but was dismissed due to his IRA membership. In the 1930s he served as an IRA recruiting officer, enlisting fellow writer Brendan Behan...
's Gaelic League classes as well as publishing Splannc (Irish for "Spark," named after Lenin's newspaper).
Political activism
In 1944 he was founding secretary of the Liam MellowsLiam Mellows
Liam Mellows was an Irish Republican and Sinn Féin politician. Born in England, Mellows grew up in County Wexford in Ireland. He was active with the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Volunteers, and participated in the Easter Rising in County Galway, and the War of Independence...
Branch of the Labour Party and in 1945 was a founding secretary of the Cork Socialist Party
Cork Socialist Party
The Cork Socialist Party was a minor political party based in Cork, Ireland. It was founded in 1945,and was formed in the aftermath of the Irish Labour Party expelling the members and disbanding the Cork Liam Mellows Branch of the Party which had only been formed in 1944.Spanish Civil War veteran...
, whose other notable members included Derry Kelleher, Kevin Neville and Máire Keohane-Sheehan.
O'Riordan subsequently worked as a bus conductor in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
and was active in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU). In 1947 he stood as a Cork Socialist Party candidate in Cork and afterwards moved to Dublin where he lived in Victoria St with his wife Kay, continued to work as a bus conductor and remained active in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union.
In 1947, O'Riordan was a founding secretary of the Irish Workers' League and General Secretary thereafter, and of its successor organisation the Irish Workers' Party from 1962-1970.
In the 1960s, he was a pivotal figure in the Dublin Housing Action Committee
Dublin Housing Action Committee
The Dublin Housing Action Committee was a 1960s protest against housing shortages in Ireland's capital city.It arose from a serious shortage of affordable housing, combined with a large number of properties standing empty. It also functioned as a way for a broad range of left-wingers in the...
which agitated for clearances of Dublin's slums and for the building of social housing. There, he befriended Fr Austin Flannery, leading the then Finance Minister and future Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
to dismiss Flannery as "a gullible cleric" while the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland , was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1957 as a Fianna Fáil TD. He served as Minister for Defence , Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Local Government...
, described him as a "so-called cleric" for sharing a platform with O'Riordan.
In all he ran for election five times, campaigning throughout for the establishment of a socialist republic in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
but given Ireland's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and fear of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, he did so without success. He did, however, receive playwright Sean O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
's endorsement in 1951.
O'Casey wrote: "Mr O'Riordan is his own message. He has nothing to sell but his soul. But he hasn't done that, though he will be told he'll lose it by holding on to it."
O'Riordan's participation in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
was always an important part of his political identity. In 1966 he attended the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
' Reunion in Berlin and was instrumental in having Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
's remains repatriated from Germany to Ireland in 1979.
He was a member of the Irish Chile Solidarity Committee and attended the 1st Party Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in 1984. He also campaigned on behalf of the Birmingham 6 and attended their Appeal trial in 1990. O'Riordan served between 1970-1983 he served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
and from 1983-1988 he served as National Chairman of the party and published many articles under the auspices of the CPI.
His last major public outing came in 2005 at the re-dedication of the memorial outside Dublin's Liberty Hall to the Irish veterans of the Spanish Civil War. He and other veterans were received by President of Ireland
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
. He was also presented with Cuba's Medal of Friendship by the Cuban Consul Teresita Trujillo to Ireland on behalf of Cuban President Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Operation Splash
In 1969, according to Soviet dissident Vasili MitrokhinVasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
, O'Riordan was approached by IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
leaders Cathal Goulding
Cathal Goulding
Cathal Goulding was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and the Official IRA.One of seven children born into a republican family in East Arran Street in the north inner city of Dublin, Goulding was involved as teenager in Fianna Éireann, the IRA youth wing which he joined with his...
and Seamus Costello
Seamus Costello
Seamus Costello was a leader of Official Sinn Féin and the Official Irish Republican Army and latterly of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Irish National Liberation Army ....
with a view to obtaining guns from the Soviet KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
to defend Irish republican areas of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
during the communal violence that marked the outbreak of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. Mitrokhin alleges that O'Riordan then contacted the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
, but the consignment of arms did not reach Ireland until 1972. The operation was known as Operation Splash.
O'Riordan allegedly wrote: "Dear Comrades, I would like to outline in written form a request for assistance in acquiring the following types of arms: 2,000 assault rifles (7.62mm) and 500 rounds of ammunition for each; 150 hand-held machine-guns (9mm) and 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each."
The IRA had split in the meantime between the Provisional IRA and the Official IRA
Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
and it was the latter faction who received the Soviet arms. Mitrokhin's allegations were repeated in Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
's autobiography but are dismissed by some close to O'Riordan who claim he was consistently opposed the use of "armed struggle" in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Connolly Column
His book Connolly Column - The Story of the Irishmen who fought for the Spanish Republic 1936-1939, published in 1979, dealt with the Irish volunteers of the International Brigade who fought in support of the Spanish RepublicSecond Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
against Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). An updated version of the book was reprinted in 2005 and was launched by the Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Michael Conaghan at a book launch at SIPTU
SIPTU
SIPTU , or in Irish: CSTGT is Ireland's largest trade union, with around 200,000 members. Most of these members are in the Republic of Ireland, although the union does have a Northern Ireland branch...
headquarters, Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall , in Dublin, Ireland is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union...
. The book was the inspiration for Irish singer-songwriter Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
's famous song Viva la Quinta Brigada.
Moore said: “Without Michael O’Riordan I’d never have been able to write Viva la Quince Brigada. I must have performed the song over a thousand times and every single time I sing it I think of Mick and wonder how can I ever thank him enough. In Spain in 1983 I was reading his book, Connolly Column – the story of the Irishmen who fought for the Spanish Republic, and I began this song as I read on. The song was lifted entirely from his book.”
Later life and death in 2006
In 1991, O'Riordan's wife Kay Keohane of ClonakiltyClonakilty
Clonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town on the N71 national secondary road in West County Cork, Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork City. The town is on the southern coast of the island, and is surrounded by hilly country devoted...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
died at their home aged 81. He continued to live in their family home before moving to Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
in 2000 to be close to his son Manus who lived nearby. He lived there until falling ill in November 2005 and was taken to the Mater Hospital. His health rapidly deteriorated and he quickly developed Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Soon afterwards he was moved to St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
where he spent the final few months of his life, before his death at the age of 88.
O'Riordan's funeral at Glasnevin Crematorium was attended by over a thousand mourners. Following a wake the previous night at Finglas Rd, hundreds turned up outside the house of his son Manus and traffic ground to a halt as family, friends and comrades - many of whom were waving the red flag of the Communist Party of Ireland
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
- escorted O'Riordan to Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
. A secular ceremony took place led by Manus O'Riordan (Head of Research at SIPTU) with contributions from O'Riordan's family, Communist Party General Secretary Eugene McCartan and IBMT representative Pauline Frasier.
The funeral congregation included politicians such as Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
, his predecessor Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
, party front-bencher Joan Burton
Joan Burton
Joan Burton is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Minister for Social Protection. She is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency....
; Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
TD Seán Crowe
Seán Crowe
Seán Crowe is an Irish Sinn Féin politician, and is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency.Crowe was born in Dublin and has lived there all his life, currently in Tallaght...
and councillor Larry O'Toole; ex-Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
leader Tomás Mac Giolla and former Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
MEP Niall Andrews
Niall Andrews
Niall Andrews was an Irish politician. He served as a Teachta Dála and Member of the European Parliament for the Fianna Fáil party....
. Also in attendance were union leaders Jack O'Connor
Jack O'Connor (trade unionist)
Jack O'Connor is an Irish trade union leader.Born in northern County Dublin, O'Connor worked in various fields before taking full-time employment with the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland in 1980...
(SIPTU), Mick O'Reilly (ITGWU) and David Begg (ICTU). Actors Patrick Bergin
Patrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
, Jer O'Leary; singer Ronnie Drew
Ronnie Drew
Joseph Ronald "Ronnie" Drew was an Irish singer and folk musician who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin...
; artist Robert Ballagh
Robert Ballagh
Robert "Bobby" Ballagh is an Irish artist, painter and designer. He was born in Dublin and studied at the Bolton Street College of Technology. His painting style was strongly influenced by pop art...
; newsreader Anne Doyle
Anne Doyle
Anne Doyle is a newsreader for the Irish broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann . She currently presents RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock. She is "the most popular television newsreader for a generation" and is regarded as an icon....
were also among the mourners. Tributes and were paid by President of Ireland
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
, Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
and Labour Party TDs Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
and Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins is the ninth and current President of Ireland, having taken office on 11 November 2011 following victory in the 2011 Irish presidential election. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, author and broadcaster. Higgins was President of the Labour Party until his...
.
External links
- http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/mick.html Obituary of Michael O'Riordan
- http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76189 Funeral of Michael O'Riordan, Born 12 November 1917 Died 18 May 2006 (Report & Photos)
- http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/20060519154741.html Michael D. Higgins pays tribute to Michael O'Riordan
- http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/20060518115424.html Ruairi Quinn pays tribute to Michael O’Riordan
- http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/14281 Gerry Adams expresses condolences to family and friends of Michael O'Riordan
- A collection of articles and interviews with Mick. 18/5/6 - obituary to follow.]
- O'Riordan addressing the Irish Labour conference, 2001.
- Biography on the Communist Party of Ireland website
- Irish Examiner, "Spanish Civil War veteran dies, aged 88" retrieved 18 May 2006
- O'RIORDAN'S SPANISH BODENSTOWN (poem)