Anthony Coughlan

Anthony Coughlan is an Irish academic, secretary of the National Platform, and retired Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Social Policy at Trinity College, Dublin.

He has contributed to various debates in the media such as on RTÉ's Questions and Answers, both in his capacity as a lecturer and as a spokesperson for lobby groups such as the National Platform. He opposed EU enlargement and EU treaties such as the Single European Act, Maastricht Treaty, Amsterdam Treaty, Nice Treaty, Nice Treaty re-run and the Lisbon Treaty.[1]

He made contributions to the post-Lisbon Treaty debate and made submissions to the Oireachtas Committee on Europe on behalf of the National Platform.[2]

Early life and education

Born in Cork, he became politicised while studying English, history and economics at University College Cork in the fifties, setting up a branch of the Labour Party in the college. He moved to London where he studied for a postgraduate degree in Social Policy at the University of London. In London he joined the Connolly Association,[3] and befriended the republican socialist C. Desmond Greaves.[4]

Career

He returned to Ireland in 1961 and began lecturing at Trinity College Dublin. He became involved in the Wolfe Tone Society when it was set up in 1964 acting as its secretary as well as the Dublin Housing Action Committees, both of which were heavily populated by members of the Republican Movement most of which evolved into Sinn Féin the Workers Party. The Wolfe Tone Society campaigned for civil rights in Northern Ireland and supported the NICRA. Coughlan contributed articles to the United Irishman and Tuairisc the paper of the Wolfe Tone Society.

He left the Republican Movement in 1970, he was joint secretary with Raymond Crotty of the Common Market Defence Campaign,[5] he participated in the Common Market Study Group and campaigned against Ireland joining the Common Market[6] and has campaigned against greater European integration policies through various organisations since such as the Irish Sovereignty Movement[7] and National Platform.

Coughlan married Muriel Sadlier in 1983.[8]

Submissions and articles

References
  1. Video of Anthony Coughlan speaking on behalf of the National Platform - Election Broadcast
  2. "Govt accused of failing to respect Lisbon vote". Irish Independent, Friday 21 November 2008.
  3. "Seasoned campaigner savouring taste of victory" Archived December 17, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. Irish Examiner, 25 June 2001.
  4. C. Desmond Greaves (1913-1988 - An Obituary Essay by Coughlan A. C., Irish Labour History Society: Studies in Irish Labour History, 1991
  5. Collins, Stephen. "Same Argument, Different Year". Sunday Tribune, 15 September 2002.
  6. Ireland and the Common Market the alternatives to membership by Anthony Coughlan, Common Market Study Group (Dublin) Published in 1972
  7. E.E.C. political union - Menace to Irish neutrality and independence by Anthony Coughlan The Irish Sovereignty Movement Publications (Dublin)
  8. Mac Carthaigh, Sean. "Anthony Coughlan : He is no Yes-man" Archived May 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. The Sunday Business Post, Sunday, 25 August 2002.
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