Padraic O Conaire: Political radical

galway | anti-capitalism | event notice Sunday December 07, 2003 13:58 by John

Bilingual event (Irish & English)

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the death of this significant writer in the Irish language.

Probably because his depiction in Albert Power's Eyre Square statue, O Conaire has a folksy image nowadays, but he was a substantial character in his time

O Conaire was a trade unionist, a member of IRB and of IRA, and a founder of Galway Labour Party. He also wrote in defence of the Russian revolution, but evidently became disenchanted withe the Soviet state, for he described himself in later years as an anarchist and as a Trotskyist.

Friday's event will be held in the Conradh na Gaeilge building in Dominick Street, starting at 8. Contributors include actor, Diarmaid de Faoite: poet Rita Ann Higgins (O Conaire's successor as laureate of the dispossessed); and historians Aindrias O Cathasaigh and John Cunningham.

(Admission free; all welcome (Even if you don't know Irish, you'll understand half of the proceedings)