AS hundreds gathered at Béal na Bláth last Sunday for the 104th anniversary to commemorate the death of General Michael Collins, attendees were reminded of Collins’s great love of reading.
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Speaking at the ceremony following the oration delivered by broadcaster David McCullough, Collins’ great grandnephew Aengus Collins O’Malley spoke about the revolutionary’s love of reading and the fact he was largely self-educated, having left school at 15.
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‘He had a strong interest in reading which was encouraged by his sister Hannie and she immersed him in the theatre and literary scenes in London. And often after finishing a book he would stay up until the early hours discussing the contents with her,’ said Aengus.
‘His reading came of age in London, he read Dickens, Shakespeare and JM Barrie. Michael was also a huge fan of Arthur Conan Doyle and the similarities between Collins’ squad and the irregulars in Sherlock Holmes are uncanny.’
He added that even during the height of the War of Independence while on the run as Britain’s most wanted man, Collins maintained his reading habits.
‘Safe houses across Dublin were stocked with books specifically for him. His close friend, Batt O’Connor noted that if Collins had a rare hour of downtime between organising guerrilla operations and balancing the books of the rebel government’s finances, he would bury himself in a book.’
‘For Michael Collins, reading was never a passive hobby but an active intellectual necessity that allowed him to outthink the British Empire.’
Aengus also spoke about Sam Maguire, whose centenary commemoration takes place next February. He said Maguire was like a father figure to Collins when he was in London and sworn him into the IRB and acted as mentor to him.
Delivering this year’s oration, broadcaster and historian David McCullagh said that Collins ‘the soldier, the intelligence chief, the financial mastermind was crucial to the conduct of the War of Independence.’
‘But Michael Collins the diplomat, the negotiator and the constitution maker was no less crucial to moulding a compromise which secured the essential interests of the nation he represented, and the cause he led.’
Also attending the commemoration was six-year-old Shay Ryan from Limerick, who dressed up as the Big Fella for the special day.
His mum Nuala O’Brien said he is a huge Michael Collins fan and was influenced by his granddad Mickie, who is also a big fan of Michael Collins.
