Michael Grimes (1888–1977) was a scientist and researcher from Ireland. He is known for his work in microbiology.

Early life and politics

Grimes was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1888. In 1905 he began working at the Condensed Milk Company of Ireland as a

laboratory technician A laboratory technician or (informally) lab tech is a person who works in a laboratory performing analytical or experimental procedures, maintaining laboratory equipment. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of the term labo ...

and analyst. Around the time of the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

, he became a member of the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

. After his appearance on a leaked

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

list of republican sympathisers in 1919, he was smuggled to

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 ...

in a

milk churn A milk churn is a tall, conical or cylindrical container for the transportation of milk. In North America, it is often referred to as a milk can. History The usage of the word 'churn' was retained for describing these containers, although th ...

, then transported to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in a mailbag. Disguised as a Welsh farmer, he took a train to

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, boarding a ship to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

he was helped by a

Jesuit priest The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

who arranged for him to attend college in Canada. Grimes was the

Godparent Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child's baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, ...

and close relative of Edward M. Walsh, Founding President of the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

.Walsh EM, Fagan K. Upstart, Friends, Foes and Founding a University. 2011.

Education

Grimes undertook his undergraduate education in Canada, obtaining an Associate Diploma in Agriculture at the Ontario Agricultural College in 1920, followed by a BA in Chemistry and Bacteriology at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1921. He then attended Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, completing a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in Dairy Bacteriology in 1922 and a PhD in the same field in 1923.

Career

In 1924,

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

(UCC) appointed Grimes as agricultural bacteriologist, the first

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

employed at the university. He was elected as a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

in 1931. In 1940, he was appointed professor in the Department of Dairy Bacteriology, which later became the UCC School of Microbiology. He held his professorship until 1961. In 1945, Grimes served as honorary treasurer of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. On 13 April 2018, UCC formally opened the Michael Grimes Laboratory. UCC awards an annual student prize in his honour.

World War II

During his time in Iowa, Grimes worked with a German scientist who later took up a post at

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. They continued their joint research, with Grimes visiting Germany on several occasions. In 1935, Grimes and his wife was invited to an SS dinner by his German colleague.

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

was guest of honour at the meal and spoke about his intention to invade

Abyssinia Abyssinia (; also known as Abyssinie, Abissinia, Habessinien, or Al-Habash) was an ancient region in the Horn of Africa situated in the northern highlands of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.Sven Rubenson, The survival of Ethiopian independence, ...

. Grimes contacted the US Ambassador to Ireland and visited London to inform the

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pri ...

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

. According to Grimes's family, he had been approached by a representative of Hitler in 1940, offering him the position of Governor of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

in the event of a German invasion of Ireland, a plan known as Operation Green. Grimes's father informed the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

immediately.

Death

Grimes died on 13 February 1977 at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimes, Michael Irish republicans 1888 births 1977 deaths Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood 20th-century Irish biologists Academics of University College Cork Ontario Agricultural College alumni University of Toronto alumni Iowa State University alumni Members of the Royal Irish Academy Irish microbiologists