Son of 1916 leader dies on Rising anniversary
TRIBUTES have been paid to Father Joseph Mallin, the last surviving child of an executed leader of the 1916 Rising, who died at the age of 104 just hours before yesterday’s official ceremony to mark the rebellion’s anniversary.
The news of the death of Fr Mallin, who was a son of Michael Mallin, filtered through yesterday morning, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Michael D Higgins led the commemorations to mark the 102nd anniversary of the Easter Rising.
They were joined by Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago and the former White House chief of staff for Barack Obama. President Higgins laid a wreath outside the GPO during the military ceremony, involving hundreds of members of the Defence Forces, in Dublin city centre yesterday.
Captain Seán McCarthy, from the Air Corps, read out a copy of the Proclamation of Independence on the steps of the GPO, where the rebellion against British rule began in 1916.
And as the Defence Forces played Amhrán na bhFiann, the Air Corps flew overhead to bring the proceedings to an end. A number of Government Ministers also attended yesterday’s event.
But the most poignant moment – in a day of events all around the country – came when the news emerged that Fr Mallin had passed away in his home in Hong Kong.
In his later years, he had spoken of his father’s deep regret that he had served for the British army in India.
He saw the way in which India was exploited and longed to defect to their side and fight for Indian independence, Fr Mallin said.
The deceased’s father came home radicalised and was one of the commanders of the rebels at the Royal College of Surgeons. Fr Mallin, a Jesuit priest, was just two years old when he was taken to prison to say goodbye to his father. He received the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2016.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said of his death: ‘The fact that he has passed away at Easter adds extra poignancy. Fr Mallin was one of a generation of committed, loyal and compassionate Irish missionaries who made an enormous contribution around the world, and he remained proud throughout his life of his father’s role in his country’s formation.’
Dublin’s Lord Mayor Micheál MacDonncha also paid tribute, saying: ‘Fr Joseph’s sincere patriotism was an inspiration and it was a great source of pride that he held the Freedom of the City of Dublin.’