Michael Noyk (12 August 1884 – 22 October 1966) was a Lithuanian-born

Irish republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

politician and lawyer. Born to a Jewish couple in the Lithuanian city of Telšiai, Noyk moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

with his family when he was one year old. He was educated at Dublin's The High School and then entered its

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

as a sizar in Hebrew, before winning a classics scholarship and graduating in 1907. Shortly afterwards, he worked as a solicitor. He befriended

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that prod ...

and, through him, he became highly sympathetic to the cause of Irish republicanism. He was Griffith's personal solicitor until his death. He joined

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

shortly after the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

and was responsible for defending a number of

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

prisoners including

Sean MacEoin Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish language, Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (Anglicisation of names, anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn (giv ...

Thomas Whelan Thomas Whelan (; 5 October 1898 – 14 March 1921) was one of six men executed in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin on 14 March 1921. He was 22 years old at the time of his death. Background Whelan was born in Gortrummagh near Clifden, County Gal ...

, Patrick Moran, James Boyce, and

Frank Teeling Francis 'Frank' Teeling (10 May 1899 – 25 January 1976) was a member of the Irish Republican Army and one of Michael Collins' Squad who took part in the assassinations of members of the Cairo Gang on Bloody Sunday. Background Teeling was a nativ ...

. He was a prominent worker for Éamon de Valera in the 1917 Clare East by-election, and was the election agent for

Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( pl, Markiewicz ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the fir ...

and

Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Thomas O'Kelly ( ga, Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh; 25 August 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the second president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also serve ...

in the 1918 general election. During 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 was a high-level official and adviser with the Department of Finance which was then headed by

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

. Noyk also participated in

Dáil Courts The Dáil Courts (also known as Republican Courts) were the judicial branch of government of the Irish Republic, which had unilaterally declared independence in 1919. They were formally established by a decree of the First Dáil on 29 June 1920 ...

held in Dublin. He was responsible for the procurement of offices at 22 Mary Street in Dublin where the First Dáil's Department of Finance was located during the war. Noyk married Mabel Stein (died 1956), the sister of artist Stella Steyn. They had four children, and lived for many years on Wellington Road in Dublin. He died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and was given a full military funeral by the IRA's Dublin Brigade. He was buried in Dolphins Barn Jewish Cemetery.Michael Noyk
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noyk, Michael 1884 births 1966 deaths Jewish Irish politicians Lawyers from Dublin (city) Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom Politicians from Dublin (city) Sinn Féin politicians 20th-century Irish lawyers Burials at Dolphins Barn Jewish Cemetery