Roy Johnston obituary: scientist and republican pacifist ahead of his time

Roy Johnston obituary Born: November 11th, 1929 Died: December 13th, 2019

Rarely was the description “a man ahead of his time” more apt than in the case of Dr Roy Harry William Johnston, who made a significant effort to take the gun out of Irish republican politics at least 30 years before the Good Friday Agreement.

He never accepted British sovereignty over Northern Ireland, although he believed it could and should be brought to an end by political rather than paramilitary means.

As a teenager, prompted by the Red Army's performance in the second World War, he became interested in Marxism

He was proud of his father, Joseph Johnston (1890-1972), professor of applied economics at Trinity College Dublin, Home Ruler from a Presbyterian background in Co Tyrone, Independent member of Seanad Éireann and a founder-member of the Irish Association which promotes North-South co-operation. Roy Johnston himself attended St Columba’s College, Rathfarnham, before entering TCD where he graduated with honours in mathematics and physics in 1951. He worked in the Paris École Polytechnique and later completed a PhD in cosmic physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

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He was employed with Guinness at Park Royal in London and later as a systems analyst at Aer Lingus, before becoming manager of the TCD Applied Research & Consultancy Group. He wrote a science and technology column for The Irish Times from 1970 to 1976.

As a teenager, prompted by the Red Army’s performance in the second World War, he became interested in Marxism and helped launch a small newspaper at TCD called The Promethean. He developed contacts outside the college with Dominic Behan and former Irish Republican Army internees at the Curragh who were moving to the left.

After the failure of its armed campaign on the Border from 1956 to 1962, the IRA under Cathal Goulding began to explore political methods of achieving its aims. As part of this move away from traditional republican strategy, Johnston became what he described as political education officer on behalf of Goulding’s HQ staff.

His politically-oriented approach was resented by old-school republicans. Even after the split with the Provisional IRA, an element of militarism remained in the “official” wing. This found expression, for example, when John Barnhill, a hardline unionist member of the Northern Ireland Senate, was assassinated in December 1971. Johnston wrote later that “this was the last straw, and I resigned, though without rancour”. He rejoined the Communist Party (previously the Irish Workers’ League) but this was not a happy experience for either side by all accounts and he was expelled in 1977 after making public criticisms of the Soviet Union’s treatment of literary and scientific figures. His final political affiliation was with the Green Party and his passing has been widely lamented by that party’s membership.

In the mid-1960s, Johnston separated from his wife Máirín, after 13 years of marriage. Later, in 1971, he and Janice Williams set up home together and, in 1978, their daughter Nessa was born. Divorce was banned in Ireland at the time and the couple took a case to Strasbourg, led by future president, Mary Robinson, claiming that their right to found a family was being violated. The European Court of Human Rights rejected the claim but ordered that all children must be treated equally under Irish law, regardless of the marital status of their parents. After the divorce ban was lifted, the couple were married at a Quaker meeting house in 1998.

After a frequently dramatic life, Roy Johnston died peacefully, just over a month after celebrating his 90th birthday with family and friends. He is survived by his wife Janice and daughter Nessa, former wife Máirín and children Úna, Fergus and Aileen, as well as three grandchildren.