Sean Kearney

The Ulster Humanist • No 87 • June-July 2004 Sean Kearney (1932-2004) “If a man is aware that his time was not wasted, despite life’s difficulties and misunderstandings, why should he fear death? When all is said and done, what is death but a deep sleep, which to the man who is content with modest A Varied Life achievements, should be welcomed as a reward at the end of life’s struggle” - SK EAN KEARNEY, who died on Sean was a lifelong socialist actively 20th May at the age of 72, interested in the greater good of his fel- Swas born and raised in Belfast low man. He involved himself in the in humble circumstances. Al- campaign for the Labour Party to organ- though he left school at 14 he never ise in Northern Ireland. He also devel- lost his love of learning and litera- oped an interest in Humanism and joined ture. A strong interest in social jus- what is now the Ulster Humanist Asso- tice and politics also led him to life- ciation in 1989 soon after his return long study of subjects such as his- home. Within a short time he became an tory and philosophy. interested and influential member. In- For a time, he was drawn into deed, it was his idea to begin publishing violent politics as a means of ending a magazine – The Humanist (later The poverty and spent two periods in Ulster Humanist) to broaden the aware- prison as a result. He claimed that ness of Humanist philosophy and values. the first spell gave him discipline He remained the editor for many years and the second provided a reason- and the magazine is still the mainstay of able education. The failure of ex- He then moved to lobdon, where he the Ulster Humanist Association. Dur- tremism impressed him with the lived until 1989. He established a suc- ing his editorship the magazine tackled need to struggle for change in a cessful small business in the city which current affairs, education and moral is- more rational way. left time to work with democratic ele- sues and was never afraid to cover the He also had a great love of the ments against political violence. When- difficult or controversial. Irish language, and with the help of ever possible, he faced the media and at- Sean also researched the life of the Irish evening classes, he won a scholar- tacked the sectarian murder campaigns philosopher John Toland (1670-1722) ship to the Irish- speaking school at in Ireland. In his spare time he taught for two years before publishing his biog- Rosguil in North Donegal, where Irish two evenings a week for five years. raphy in 1997. He also wrote a weekly he developed his fluency. He subse- By the late eighties, however, he column in the Irish language newspaper quently attended the other Donegal yearned for Ireland again, realising that Lá for 8 years. More recently, he made Irish College at Ranafast near he could play a more active role politi- monthly contributions to the magazine Gweedore. It was here that he met cally. The brutality of the Enniskillen Fortnight and was working to have his and married a native Irish speaker bomb and the slaughter at Teebane fi- early memoirs published when illness and settled down. In that close knit nally convinced him that only at home assailed him. community, he became totally fluent could he play that role. So he returned to In all aspects of his life, Sean demon- in the Irish tongue – developing a Belfast in 1989 and worked as a driving strated great energy, enthusiasm and love for, and empathy with it, instructor. His tuition was highly re- commitment. He was a true Humanist - which never left him. garded with many recommendations. think for yourself, act for others. His It was during this time that he Indeed he taught three generations of the legacy in all the fields in which he was so worked in the local textile industry same family to drive, and continued to active is great and his influence far- in Gweedore and his interest in teach until July. reaching. Many in the Ulster Humanist working conditions and Trade Un- In the late eighties and early 1990s the Association were impressed with his in- ionism first began. This was in the fearful murder and mutilation campaign tellect, his articulation of Humanist late 1960s and he was first a shop established by the terrorists to maintain ideas, his principled morality, his un- steward and later branch secretary their power over people was at its wavering reliability and his sense of hu- of the Irish Transport and General height, and this gave birth to the vic- mour. Sean indeed served to verify the Workers Union. By the mid 1970s tims’ group Families Against intimida- hypothesis of Bertrand Russell: “The he had succeeded in raising wage tion and Terror (FAIT). Sean became an person who has made a contribution, levels there to Dublin standards - active member of the leadership and however small, to the progress of civili- and even more importantly - had campaigned publicly for human rights. sation, has helped to develop the happi- achieved equal pay for women in As a result, FAIT succeeded in high- ness of humanity, and that alone is suffi- that company. As you can imagine, lighting the issue at an international cient to justify existence”. this did not exactly find favour with level so that in the end even the IRA con- ME, BMcC employers, and his tenure at Gwee- ceded that such activity is brutal and un- dore came to an end about 1980. just. 20.

Load more