Micheal O Conghaile

Always interested in writing as a hobby, Micheal O Conghaile was Chairman of Writers 2000 for a number of years, an association of authors based in Johannesburg. He is also a regular contributor to a number of magazines; mostly short stories and humourous pieces. He has been actively involved with the Irish South African Association and has given talks on the Easter Rising and Irish history to their three chapters in South Africa. He was an invited guest at the recent 2016 Centenary...See more

Always interested in writing as a hobby, Micheal O Conghaile was Chairman of Writers 2000 for a number of years, an association of authors based in Johannesburg. He is also a regular contributor to a number of magazines; mostly short stories and humourous pieces. He has been actively involved with the Irish South African Association and has given talks on the Easter Rising and Irish history to their three chapters in South Africa. He was an invited guest at the recent 2016 Centenary Celebrations in Dublin. So where does he fit into this narrative of the rebel Connollys? Born in 1936 as something of an unplanned afterthought, he came on the scene after the events described in this narrative. There seemed to be a certain amount of disillusionment and reluctance to speak about events among the players. He spent a good deal of time with his aunts, uncles and parents - the survivors; but they were usually quiet about their activities. He was probably overlooked and heard things not intended for him at the time. But growing up, there was no general talk around the family table about `the troubles'. Any thoughts of him joining the army or the navy, was actively discouraged. He found this very puzzling at the time, but in retrospect they had probably all had enough of war and suffering. As an adult, Mattie and other family members made him privy to a lot of stories and anecdotes. He became even closer to Mattie - the last surviving member of his siblings and before he passed away he gave him his journals and documents with a wish for the story to be written so that it might be passed down to future generations of the Connolly family. Of Michael and Mary's sixteen children, the resulting count of grandchildren was twenty three and the author is the last one alive. He has felt it his mission to give voice to those who have gone before in the hope that the next generation of Connollys, whether carrying the name or not, will have some idea of their heritage. See less