Michael O'Brien (27 September 1933 – 22 April 2025) was an Irish politician who was a councillor and mayor of

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

.Years after he told Ireland his story of abuse on live TV, ex-politician says Pope must do more for survivors
/ref>
Caroline O’Doherty,

Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Republic of Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork (city), Cork, though it is ...

, 27 May 2009, retrieved 22 October 2009 He was also a survivor of abuse at

Ferryhouse St Joseph’s Industrial School, generally referred to as Ferryhouse, is located four kilometres east of Clonmel, in County Tipperary, Ireland. The original building was erected in 1884 by Count Arthur Moore, a wealthy local Catholic as a refor ...

and came to national prominence through his campaigning on this subject.

Early life

Born in Clonmel on 27 September 1933, O'Brien was one of 13 siblings.''Mayor campaigns against abuse by the Catholic Church'', Timesonline
/ref> When he was eight years old, his mother died and he and his siblings were taken into care.
Steven Carroll,

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

, 27 May 2009, retrieved 22 October 2009 He was detained in this industrial school for eight years where he was raped and beaten repeatedly. He was separated from his brother Thomas Joseph O’Brien for 40 years.

Political career

O'Brien joined

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

at the age of 18. He was elected to

borough council, being elected mayor of Clonmel in 1993. He lost his seat at the 1999 local elections.

Advocacy

O'Brien became a campaigner for the rights of those who had been put in industrial schools in 1999 when he went public with his own experiences, founding the lobby group Right to Peace. Following his death, Irish President

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...

paid tribute to O'Brien saying his "sense of citizenship and courageous personal testimony was such a powerful act of public service".

Appearance on ''Questions and Answers''

O'Brien was in the audience for '' Questions and Answers'' on 25 May 2009 when he confronted

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

Noel Dempsey Noel Dempsey (born 6 January 1953) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Transport from 2007 to 2011, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources from 2004 to 2007, Minister for Education and Scie ...

about the way the

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) was one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. Commencing its work in 1999, it was commonly known ...

had treated survivors of the industrial schools, pointing out that the allegedly non-adversarial process had involved him being accused of lying. He said the government should change the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

so that the assets of the religious orders who ran the industrial schools could be frozen. He also spoke of how he still suffered nightmares about the abuse he suffered in Ferryhouse and how his experience of the questioning had led him to contemplate suicide but his wife had persuaded him not to do it. He had been detained in St Joseph's Industrial School, Clonmel. The audience applauded him for speaking out. The presenter John Bowman said that Michael O'Brien's speech was the most memorable moment in 23 years of the show.

Personal life and death

While O'Brien was a Catholic, he rarely went to church. O'Brien died in Clonmel on 22 April 2025, at the age of 91, his wife having died before him.

References

External links

Video clip of Michael O'Brien speaking on ''Questions and Answers''
* Irish Central

by Patrick O'Connor; 24 May 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Michael 1933 births 2025 deaths Mayors of places in the Republic of Ireland Fianna Fáil local councillors Members of South Tipperary County Council People from Clonmel People detained at industrial schools in the Republic of Ireland