Eamonn Rory O'Kane (21 August 1945 – 22 May 2004) was a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

. Born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

to a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

family, O'Kane studied at

St Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by Bishop William Crolly, opened on the feast of Sain ...

and

Queen's University, Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

Nigel de Gruchy Nigel Ronald Anthony de Gruchy (born 28 January 1943) is a British former trade union official. Career De Gruchy attended De La Salle College on Jersey, then the University of Reading, where he graduated with a BA in Economics and History. Afte ...

,
Eamonn O'Kane
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 24 May 2004 He spent a short time at

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, where he got to know

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...

,"Eamonn O'Kane", ''Northern Star'', vol.18 (2004), p.12 before returning to Belfast at the start of

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

to become a teacher at

St Patrick's College, Belfast St Patrick's College, Bearnageeha was a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys aged between 11-19 situated on the Antrim Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The college's catchment area encompassed the New Lodge, Ardoyne, the Antrim Road and va ...

. O'Kane joined the

Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) was a political party in Northern Ireland which operated from 1924 until 1987. Origins The roots of the NILP can be traced back to the formation of the Belfast Labour Party in 1892. William Walker stoo ...

(NILP) in

Newtownabbey Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement in North Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of severa ...

, and was briefly also active in People's Democracy. By the early 1970s, he was prominent in the "Workers' Association for the Democratic Settlement of the National Conflict in Ireland", a group linked to the

British and Irish Communist Organisation The British and Irish Communist Organisation (B&ICO) was a small group based in London, Belfast, Cork, and Dublin. Its leader was Brendan Clifford. The group produced a number of pamphlets and regular publications, including ''The Irish Commu ...

, which was influential in the Newtownabbey NILP. In 1972, he was one of nine Workers' Association members who chained themselves to radiators at the Department of External Affairs in Dublin, calling for the Irish government to recognise Northern Ireland. His bail was paid by

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

, but all nine were later convicted of forcible entry. In 1977, he became the first president of the Campaign for Labour Representation in Northern Ireland, which advocated that the

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

organise and stand candidates in Northern Ireland. O'Kane joined the

National Association of Schoolmasters The National Association of Schoolmasters (NAS) was a trade union representing male schoolteachers in the United Kingdom. History The origins of the NAS can be traced back to the formation of the National Association of Men Teachers (NAMT) in 1919 ...

, which in 1975 became part of the

National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers The NASUWT is a TUC-affiliated trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom. The early years 1919–1976; breakaway and the formation of a new union The origins of the NASUWT can be traced back to ...

(NASUWT). He gradually rose to prominence, being elected as secretary of the Belfast branch in 1974, then to the National Executive in 1979, as chair of the salaries committee in 1982, and president of the union in 1987. Within the union movement, O'Kane was known as a right-winger, and was often critical of the policies of the rival

National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...

(NUT).Eamonn O'Kane
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 24 May 2004 In 1990, O'Kane ran in the election to become General Secretary of the NASUWT. He was defeated by

, but de Gruchy supported O'Kane's subsequent successful campaign to become his deputy. In 2002, he succeeded de Gruchy as General Secretary, and immediately negotiated a merger with the NUT and

Association of Teachers and Lecturers The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) was a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to furth ...

. However, this merger was opposed by de Gruchy, and the union's conference voted against it. O'Kane died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in May 2004, still in post.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OKane, Eamonn 1945 births 2004 deaths Alumni of Queen's University Belfast General Secretaries of NASUWT Trade unionists from Belfast Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People educated at St Malachy's College