Memories of MICHAEL t the memorial ser- postcard". vice for Michael We were also greatly influenced by Mclnerney, held in By Malachy Gray the writings and speeches of Peader January 1980, in O'Donnell and Sean Murray, who were Trinity College, ped to listen, as the speaker gave trying to apply the essence of Con- Dublin, it was testimony. nolly's teachings to current problems. stated that he was We decided there and then to shout We had welcomed the short ap- a saint. The the odds as well as the Salvation Army. pearance of the magazine Ireland To- speaker was Conor Cruise O'Brien. I After all, if we could not save sinners day and the trenchant anti-fascism ex- could not restrain a smile at that were we not trying to save Ireland? pressed by young men like Charlie description. If Mick could have heard, Away we went and in no time at all Donnelly and Donat O'Donnell. he would have let loose a gale of there was a crowd of several hundred. We were young men in a hurry to laughter at the very idea. He was a man The local Connolly Association lads bring about political and social change, who could see the humour of things. had leafleted the pubs, clubs and trade though I had to advise Mick that great But the first socialist saint - the very union branches in the district to some care was essential in advocating Con- idea of an lrish St. Michael! purpose. We had a good reception, nolly's ideas in Belfast. It had been a During a serious illness some years sold all our literature and got a fair salutary experience for me to speak in ago, the woman from next door called collection. We also recruited some new public at the Custom House steps and to see flick. She told him that the members. Mick was delighted, and he to learn how to deal with a deeply neighbours had arranged for a mass to insisted on we going back to his flat in divided community. be said for a speedy recovery or a Islington, North London, where we Both Protestant Action and Catholic happy death. "Well", said Mick, talked and laughed and argued all night Action were blunt to the point of ex- "please concentrate on the first and long. Michael Mclnerney was never a treme rudeness in questioning the forget about the second wish". drinking man, so much to my regret, legality of my parentage, along with He was a man who expressed a we drank only tea, but we got to know the advice that I should take the shor- passionate indignation against all that each other. test possible route to Moscow. And was wrong and unjust in the lreland of We found out how much we had in these were only some of the milder his day. In short, he was a warm and common. Limerick and the Falls Road suggestions l generous person - too inclined in Belfast were then about the most London and England were a dif- sometimes to overpraise. Maybe that is Catholic strongholds in Ireland. Both ferent type of experience and not a bad fault, for we have always had places were strongly influenced by the challenge. In the Connolly Association an abundance of begrudgers in this Redemptorist confraternities. Well it was a question of volunteering to do country. That is the worst I could say organised annual missions and regula~ the work. Mick was general secretary, about Mick. public processions were held, tc treasurer, editor of the monthly paper I first met Michael Mclnerney in demonstrate devotion to their concep- lrish Freedom (later to become the London towards the end of the 1930s. tion of Christianity. We had both reac- lrish Democrat) and the main public We had corresponded before I left ted strongly to sermons on hell fire and speaker. I moved into the flat and took Belfast and, shortly after I arrived at the damnation, coupled with denunciations over the runninj of the paper and so centre of the Empire, he wrote inviting of communism, socialism and free love, gave Mick a chance to breathe. We me to speak at a Connolly Association at a time of mass unemployment, mis- were joined by Jim Prendergast from meeting in Wealdstone in West Lon- ery, poverty and emigration in both Dublin. The sparks began to fly as Jim, don. The meeting was held at a street parts of Ireland. in so many ways like Brendan Behan, corner on a cold damp Saturday night. The writings of James Connolly had added a new dimension to our digs in At the appointed time there was a fired our minds with new ideas and Islington. vacant platform, the chairman, Mick ideals. Our guiding thought was Con- lrish boys and girls, who came and myself to open the proceedings - nolly's dictum, "Ireland without her mainly from the rural areas, were and no one else, not a supporter, or people means nothing to me". For a cruelly exploited on the building sites, even a heckler in sight. Mick generation after 19 1 6, Connolly was and in the bars, hotels and restaurants. apologised profusely - he was nervous, praised as a great patriot, while his The invasion of the lrish nurses was yet as he had just had all his teeth extrac- life's work for socialism and trade un- to come. Long hours and low wages ted, and he whispered: "If anyone ionism was conveniently forgotten or were the constant complaints we shouts gummy at me I'll collapse". Just played down - even by people in the received. We began to campaign, par- then, we noticed the Salvation Army at labour movement. As our good friend ticularly through the Transport and a street corner, further down the road. Desmond Ryan wrote at the time, General Workers Union, for the Not a solitary sinner ~aused,or stop- "James Connolly was embalmed on a organisation of these thousands of P C young people. Domhnall Mac Amhlaigh ments and controversies at that time, bers in Northern Ireland. During this has written elsewhere of the relatively we attracted some distinguished con- period Mick was appointed editor of high wages earned by the lrish during tributors to our paper. Liam O'Flaherty, the weekly paper Unity and industrial the war and post-war years. But in the Sean O'Casey, Jim Phelan, Ben organiser of the party. I served as chair- 'thirties, low wages were the order of Farrington, Peader O'Donnell, and John man of the industrial committee. the day. de Courcy Ireland all wrote articles and Week after week, the paper stressed We had to overcohe the hesitations gave us financial assistance. It was that the ending of the war through the and suspicions of young people who Desmond Ryan, above all, who made a defeat of fascism would bring greater had been warned repeatedly by the lot of this possible. To have Patrick democratic rights for the ordinary peo- bishops to beware of communist and Pearse's secretary and historian, and a ple, and that the building of a strong socialist agitators. However, we per- man who was also the historian of trade union movement would be the sisted in our encouragement of the Connolly, as our mentor and regular essential element in safeguarding the lrish immigrants to join the trade union featuie writer, was a filip to our rights of the workers. But, given the movement. Many years later, Frank amateur journalism. There is no doubt political background of Northern Cousins, then general secretary of the that Mick developed then the skills that Ireland, it was a daunting task for the TGWU, remarked to me how much he was later to display in the lrish labour movement to try to work pleasure 'and interest he took in the Times. towards these objectives. large numbers of delegates from all We made a serious political mistake The courageous actions of the un- parts of Britian with lrish names and in having our paper printed on the employed workers, known as the Out- accents, who spoke at union con- premises of the British Communist door Relief Workers' Strike, in 1932, ferences. Party's Daily Worker. Despite our had created a great degree of unity Michael Mclnerney was prominent best efforts to attract the exiled Irish, among hungry Protestants and in the Railway Clerks' Association, and we found it difficult to overcome the Catholics. The Unionist Government was able to make contact with many taunts of being a communist front received a real scare. But by 1935, af- trade union leaders in London, the organisation. There was a crying need ter consistent sectarian propaganda a Midlands, Lancashire and Scotland. It for our type of activity, but the CPGB pogrom atmosphere was created in was work that took a long time to bring was the only political party to give any Northern Ireland. The old slogans results, but the benefits obtained practical support. It is important to triumphed as workers fought workers. proved to have lasting value. Mick was record that individual members and Trade union organisation, weakened by the inspiration and driving force in our branches of the British Labour Party mass unemployment, was further crip- quest for trade union organisation. were also of great assistance, par- pled. This was indeed the sorry Political action, however, was our ticularly Dr Lena Jeger, who later background in which we had to main concern. The IRA bombing cam- became M.P. for St. Pancras. operate and where Mick showed his paign in Britain commenced.