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 as a

laboratory technician A laboratory technician is a person who works in a laboratory performing analytical or experimental procedures, maintaining laboratory equipment and assisting scientists with their work. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use o ...

and analyst. Around the time of the Irish War of Independence, he became a member of the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

. After his appearance on a leaked

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

list of republican sympathisers in 1919, he was smuggled to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in a

milk churn A milk churn is a tall, conical or cylindrical container for the transportation of milk. It is sometimes referred to as a milk can. History The usage of the word 'churn' was retained for describing these containers, although they were not thems ...

, then transported to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

in a mailbag. Disguised as a Welsh farmer, he took a train to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, boarding a ship to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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 In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

and close relative of Edward M. Walsh, Founding President of the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

.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 The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...

in 1920, followed by a BA in Chemistry and Bacteriology at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

in 1921. He then attended Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, completing a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree in Dairy Bacteriology in 1922 and a PhD in the same field in 1923.

Career

In 1924,

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

(UCC) appointed Grimes as agricultural bacteriologist, the first microbiologist employed at the university. He was elected as a member of the Royal Irish Academy 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 } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. 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 Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

was guest of honour at the meal and spoke about his intention to invade

Abyssinia The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...

. Grimes contacted the US Ambassador to Ireland and visited London to inform the

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

, Ramsay MacDonald. According to Grimes's family, he had been approached by a representative of Hitler in 1940, offering him the position of Governor of Munster in the event of a German invasion of Ireland, a plan known as Operation Green. Grimes's father informed the Garda Síochána 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