Michael Patrick O'Connor (1896–1967) was an Irish

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

, writer and broadcaster. O'Connor was born in

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ), is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains and Lough Rea, the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the urban sk ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. He joined the British Army in 1914 and served in the Royal Irish Regiment in France and Belgium during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. A German gas attack in March 1918 ended his active career, and after the war he returned as part of an exhumation unit to re-inter battlefield dead in military cemeteries. In 1918 he enrolled at

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

, from where he gained a degree in medicine in 1925. After a short period as a ship's surgeon, O’Connor decided to join the Colonial Medical Service in

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

. After completing a five-month course at the

London School of Tropical Medicine London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

, in February 1927 O’Connor travelled with his wife Kit and daughter to work in Malaya, where a second daughter was born in

Batu Gajah Batu Gajah (population 133,422) is the seat of Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. It is administered by the Batu Gajah District Council (), formerly known as Kinta West District Council (). Etymology The name ''Batu Gajah'' in Malay means "e ...

. A third daughter was born in 1930. O'Connor served at

Kuala Lipis Kuala Lipis (Pahang Malay: ''Kole Lepeh'') is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000. History Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British Empire, British arrived in 1887. In 1898, it bec ...

for three years, and then in early 1935 transferred to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

to work in public health and preventative medicine; that same year his younger two daughters were sent to England to join their older sister at school in

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

. In early 1940 O'Connor and Kit moved to

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

, on the island of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, where O’Connor had been appointed to the combined post of Principal Medical Officer and Chief Health Officer, based at Kuching General Hospital. After the invasion of Sarawak in December 1941, O’Connor and his wife were interned by the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

for the duration of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, first in Kuching General Hospital in Sarawak from December 1941 until September 1943, and thereafter at the nearby Batu Lintang camp until its liberation on 11 September 1945. After their release the O’Connors returned to Ireland where Michael published novels and short stories and became well known through his regular broadcasts to children on

Radio Éireann Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to ...

in the 1950s and early 1960s. O'Connor published an autobiographical account of his time in Batu Lintang in ''The More Fool I''. He went on to write two historical novels concerning the

fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

and the war in the Far East in conjunction with Granville Pratt Willis, a fellow internee at Batu Lintang.

Bibliography

* ''Dreamer Awake'',

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

: Talbot Press, 1946 (Novel) * ''West and East'', Dublin: Talbot Press, 1948 (Short stories) * ''Vile Repose'',

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: Benn, 1950 (Novel) * ''The More Fool I: A Piece of Autobiography'', (Dublin: Michael F. Moynihan, 1954. Foreword by

Agnes Newton Keith Agnes Newton Keith (born Agnes Jones Goodwillie Newton; July 4, 1901 – March 30, 1982) was an American writer best known for her three autobiography, autobiographical accounts of life in North Borneo (now Sabah) before, during, and after World W ...

) (Autobiography) * ''Seanchas na hÓige'',

Baile Átha Cliath Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, part of the Wicklow Mountains range. Dublin i ...

: Oifig an tSoláthair, 1955Listed as "By the same author"/"By Michael P. O'Connor" in ''The More Fool I'', ''It Began in Singapore'' and ''Escape at Dawn'' frontispieces (Stories in Irish for children) * ''Boyhood in Cathedral Town'', date uncertain * ''It Began in Singapore'', (co-authored with Granville Pratt Willis) London: Robert Hale, 1958 (Novel) * ''Escape at Dawn'', (co-authored with Granville Pratt Willis) London: Robert Hale, 1961 (Novel)

References

* Helen Maher, ''Galway Authors: a contribution towards a biographical and bibliographical index, with an essay on the history and literature in Galway'', Galway: Galway County Libraries, 1976, 86 * Stephen James Meredith Brown and Desmond Clarke, ''Ireland in Fiction: A Guide to Irish Novels, Tales, Romances, and Folklore. Volume 2''. Cork: Royal Carbery, 1985, 162

External links

Review of ''Dreamer Awake'' by Philip Rooney in ''The Irish Monthly'', Vol. 75, No. 884 (Feb., 1947), p. 91
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Michael P. Writers from County Galway People from Loughrea 1896 births 1967 deaths British Army personnel of World War I World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan Internees at Batu Lintang camp British administrators in Sarawak Colonial Medical Service officers