Michael Grimes (1888–1977) was a scientist and researcher from Ireland. He is known for his work in microbiology.

Early life and politics

Grimes was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1888. In 1905 he began working at the

Condensed Milk Company of Ireland The Condensed Milk Company of Ireland Limited was an Irish manufacturer of dairy products and, in its heyday, the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom. Its most famous product was Cleeve's Toffee, a popular confectionery which continued to ...

as a laboratory technician and analyst. Around the time of the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

, he became a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. After his appearance on a leaked British Army list of republican sympathisers in 1919, he was smuggled to Dublin in a milk churn, then transported to Wales in a mailbag. Disguised as a Welsh farmer, he took a train to Southampton, boarding a ship to New York City. In the United States he was helped by a

Jesuit priest , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

who arranged for him to attend college in Canada. Grimes was the Godparent and close relative of

Edward M. Walsh Edward M. Walsh (born 1939), is the founding president of the University of Limerick, one of two new universities established by Ireland in 1989. He headed the institution from its inception as the National Institute for Higher Education Limeric ...

, Founding President of the University of Limerick.Walsh EM, Fagan K. Upstart, Friends, Foes and Founding a University. 2011.

Education

Grimes undertook his undergraduate education in Canada, obtaining an Associate Diploma in Agriculture at the Ontario Agricultural College in 1920, followed by a BA in Chemistry and Bacteriology at the University of Toronto in 1921. He then attended Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, completing a Master of Science degree in Dairy Bacteriology in 1922 and a PhD in the same field in 1923.

Career

In 1924, University College Cork (UCC) appointed Grimes as agricultural bacteriologist, the first

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

employed at the university. He was elected as a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

in 1931. In 1940, he was appointed professor in the Department of Dairy Bacteriology, which later became the UCC School of Microbiology. He held his professorship until 1961. In 1945, Grimes served as honorary treasurer of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. On 13 April 2018, UCC formally opened the Michael Grimes Laboratory. UCC awards an annual student prize in his honour.

World War II

During his time in Iowa, Grimes worked with a German scientist who later took up a post at Heidelberg University in Germany. They continued their joint research, with Grimes visiting Germany on several occasions. In 1935, Grimes and his wife was invited to an SS dinner by his German colleague. Adolf Hitler was guest of honour at the meal and spoke about his intention to invade Abyssinia. Grimes contacted the US Ambassador to Ireland and visited London to inform the British Prime Minister,

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

. According to Grimes's family, he had been approached by a representative of Hitler in 1940, offering him the position of Governor of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

in the event of a German invasion of Ireland, a plan known as Operation Green. Grimes's father informed the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

immediately.

Death

Grimes died on 13 February 1977 at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimes, Michael Irish republicans 1888 births 1977 deaths Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood 20th-century Irish scientists Academics of University College Cork Ontario Agricultural College alumni University of Toronto alumni Iowa State University alumni Members of the Royal Irish Academy