Proinsias Mac Aonghusa

Proinsias Mac Aonghusa
Born	23 June 1933 Galway, Ireland
Died	28 September 2003(2003-09-28) (aged 70) Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Education	St. Ignatius College, Galway
Occupation	President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Member of the Arts Council of Ireland, Journalist, Writer, Television Presenter, United Nations Special Representative
Spouse(s)	Catherine McGuinness
Children	Caitríona, Donal, Diarmaid
Parent(s)	Criostóir Mac Aonghusa, Mairead DeLappe

Proinsias Mac Aonghusa (English: Francis McGuinness; 23 June 1933 – 28 September 2003) was an Irish journalist, writer, presenter and campaigner.

Mac Aonghusa was a broadcaster for Radio Éireann in 1952, and for RTÉ, UTV and BBC television from the 1960s. In 1962, he won a Jacob's Award for his Irish language broadcasting on RTÉ television.

He ran for election as a candidate of the Irish Labour Party, and became vice-chairman of the party. He encouraged the formation of the Young Labour League and edited and wrote an introduction to Corish Speaks, a collection of speeches by Brendan Corish, who was then leader of the party. He became involved in the republican Wolfe Tone Society in late 1966, and he was expelled from the Labour Party on 12 January 1967 for "activities injurious" to the party.^[1] He ran as an independent candidate in 1969, but thereafter became more concerned with the revival of the Irish language and with nationalist politics.^[2] His wife, Catherine McGuinness (née Ellis), also left the party at this time, and later became a justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland.

During 1974 and 1975, Mac Aonghusa worked as a United Nations Special Representative to southern Africa with Seán MacBride. He was an admirer of Charles Haughey whom he regularly praised in his column in the Sunday Press written under the pseudonym "Gulliver".^[3] He wrote several books, most in the Irish Language and was a member of the Arts Council of Ireland for many years. He was chairman of Bord na Gaeilge, and president of Conradh na Gaeilge between 1989 and 1994.

Bibliography

• Súil Tharam (An Clóchomhar, 2001)
• Oireachtas na Gaeilge 1897-1997 (Conradh na Gaeilge, 1997)
• Daithí Ó hUaithne: Cuimhní Cairde (An Clóchomhar 1994)(edited with Tomás de Bhaldraithe)
• Ar Son na Gaeilge – Conradh na Gaeilge 1893-1993 (Conradh na Gaeilge, 1993)
• Ros Muc agus Cogadh na Saoirse (Conradh na Gaeilge, 1992)
• Ón gCrannóg (An Clóchomhar, 1991)
• Gaillimh agus Aistí Eile (An Clóchomhar, 1983)
• Éamon de Valera – Na Blianta Réabhlóideacha (An Clóchomhar, 1982)
• Aeriris (An Clóchomhar, 1976)
• What Connolly Said (1995)
• The Best of Tone (1976)
• The Best of Pearse (1972)
• The Best of Connolly (1967) (edited with Liam Ó Réagáin)
• Corish Speaks (1967) (a collection of speeches by Brendan Corish, edited and introduced by Proinsias Mac Aonghusa
• Proportional Representation in Ireland (1959).

References