Tháinig scaifte againn le chéile ansin Dé hAoine seo chuaigh thart, (2/12), le luaithrigh Mhícheál ó Domhnáill a chur san uaigh lena anamchara, Theresa McArdle, a cailleadh tuairm le bliain agus an taca seo anuraidh. Bhí sé d’ónóir agam cúpla focal a rá cois na huaighe.
A crowd of us gathered last Friday (2 December) at a small private ceremony to inter the ashes of our recently deceased comrade, Mícheál ó Domhnáill.
As per his last wishes, Mícheál’s final resting place is in the grave in City Cemetery with his soulmate, Theresa McArdle, who sadly passed just over a year ago. Among those gathered were members of An Club Bricfeasta, The McCracken Caifé na Maidne crew, who always gave great pleasure to Mícheál at their regular get togethers in Cumann Mhic Reachtáin on the Antrim Road. I was honoured to have been asked to say a few words as Gaeilge.
Although a long-time resident of Belfast, where he and Theresa split their time between their homes in the New Lodge and Poleglass, Mícheál was in fact a native of Dublin.
He had lived and taught for some years in Paris and it was there that he first met Theresa, the love of his life, who was attending the 1997 Fête de l’Humanité on behalf of the Republican Movement.
Theresa, who had just been released from Maghaberry Prison, was part of the Sinn Féin delegation Mícheál hosted, in his capacity as Chair of the Irish Solidarity Group in Paris. The pair made an instant connection, first around politics and International affairs and then around travel and, of course, around their favourite tipple, red wine.
Long-distance romance, unlike foreign travel, held no attraction for Theresa and so it was that the mountain had to come to Muhammad,
Mícheál upped sticks and moved to Belfast. It was to become his home for the next twenty-five years. Mícheál was a committed Irish Republican and a stalwart Gaeilgeoir. He fulfilled many roles in the movement including Director of Roinn na Gaeilge, where his passion and drive ensured the centrality of the language within the party.
He also, for a time, commuted between Belfast and Brussels where he served with MEP and later Sinn Féin Party President, Mary Lou McDonald.
I first met Mícheál in Brussels, while on business in the European capital. Work done we went on to spend a wonderful evening with him in Le Perroquet Bar in Rue Watteeu.
Here his talent for languages was to prove useful with his perfect French forging a bridge between us Gaels and the locals. I was to spend many more great evenings with Mícheál, Theresa and others in the company of our mutual friend, Pádraig ó Maolchraoibhe, the one-man International Department for Irish Republicans.
Mícheál also worked for a time in the North Belfast Constituency Office before taking on his role as National Irish Langauge Director for the party.
NA LAETHE A BHÍ: Pádraig Ó Maolchraoibh le Therese McArdle agus Mícheál Ó Domhnáill
Mícheál and Theresa were hugely commited republicans but their real source of pride and the joy of their lives was their role as grandparents to the garpháistí, Amy, Déaglán, Erin, Aoibhín, Faolán and Fiadh.
They loved and spoiled them entirely and were extremely proud, especially of all their achievements big and small. In the final year of Mícheál’s life the kids were a great comfort to Dáideo Mícheál as he struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss of Theresa.
I was as shocked as everyone else when Pat Rice informed me that Mícheál had been taken to hospital and that things appeared bad. I learned from Mícheál that it was cancer and that the pronogsis was poor.
Along with all his friends, I was deeply shocked when he passed after a very short illness on November 9. Mícheál had no religious beliefs but was greatly comforted when the family agreed to inter his ashes with his soulmate Theresa.
May the sod of their beloved Éirinn rest lightly upon their grave. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a nanamacha uaisle, agus go raibh leaba acu i measc Laochra na nGael.
