Liam Ó Murchadha
Recipient of the 2009 Michael Flannery Spirit of Freedom Award
Liam Ó Murchadha was a “Fianna Boy,” and is a long time activist in the cause of Irish freedom, which brought him into a close working relationship with Michael Flannery, beginning with the American Congress for Irish Freedom in 1967, and continuing with Irish Northern Aid in 1970, and then with Cumann na Saoirse in 1986. He considers it a great honor to have been so associated with Mike Flannery, as with Martin Madden, Frank Grady, Mike Skeahan, Kevin Coen, Mick Mooney, Rick Boothby, Bill O’Grady, Matt Higgins, Gwynfor Evans, Frank Durkan, Frankie Beirne, John McGowan, Alan Heusaff, Joe Clarke, Éamonn Mac Thomáis and others.
With a passion for history and a flair for writing and journalism, Liam Ó Murchadha wrote the “The Fenian Faith” column in THE IRISH ECHO in the early 1970s, taking the name from a line in Pádraic Pearse’s Oration at the grave of O’Donovan Rossa. Under the leadership of Mike Flannery, Liam served as Editor of the IRISH PEOPLE in the mid-'70’s. He later served as Editor of the NATIONAL HIBERNIAN DIGEST, during which time he worked closely with Congressmen Mario Biaggi, Hamilton Fish and Ben Gilman of the Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs. He also co-authored “Focus: The Irish Question.” Much to the consternation of various revisionists, he has continued to research and to write.
A member of the Irish Brigade Association, he has written extensively on Irish and Irish-American history, particularly military and naval history, focusing on Commodore John Barry, and on the 69th Regiment of New York and the Irish Brigade and Corcoran Irish Legion. His major work has been on the role of the Fenian movement in America. An original contributor to the Fenian Graves Project on www.irishfreedom.net, Liam has served on historic Fenian commemorations over the past half-century, including, J.J. McGarrity, Michael Doheny, James McKay Rorty, James Haggerty, Michael Corcoran, Joe Stynes and Thomas Kelly.
He is a strong proponent of the Éire Nua federal solution for Ireland, a proposal which he discussed, at length, in the 1970s, with Daithí Ó Conaill, Seán Mac Stiopháin, Seán Ó Brádaigh and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Uachtarán Sinn Féin.
A true believer in the mission of Conradh na Gaeilge, and of an Irish Ireland, and a close friend of the late Nollaig Ó Gadhra, and also of Brother Cathal Barnabas Ó Cúinn of Coláiste Í; Liam values greatly the time he spent under the gentle tutelage of the Irish Christian Brothers. Liam Ó Murchadha was the first Chairman of Lón Gaeilge, in New York in 2004, and again, of Lón Nollag Uí Ghadhra – Nua Eabhrach at O’Lunney’s in 2008, re-named for our Fíor Gael.
With Ulsterman Charlie Laverty of The Moy in Tír Eoghain, and of the New York Irish History Roundtable, Liam provides historical commentary on Radio Free Éireann.
