Noyk

Legal advisor to Michael Collins

Barry Whelan

Michael Noyk was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania who came to Ireland as a small child. Embarking on a career as a solicitor he gained the trust of Arthur Griffith and the Sinn Féin movement.  His legal skills were called upon to advise on financial matters and to represent Irish Volunteers brought before the courts. However, it was his work during the War of Independence that would show that he was no ordinary solicitor.  

As legal advisor to Michael Collins, Noyk was in a unique position to act inside and outside the law to further Irish independence. He did this by securing premises for all the underground Dáil departments, moving Dáil funds, using legal privilege to enter prisons to bribe warders and provide the IRA with vital intelligence to aid the escape of prisoners. Noyk was faced with many difficult decisions such as identifying Resident Magistrate Alan Bell for assassination, which put his belief in the cause of Irish independence above his oath as a solicitor. Noyk met Collins daily despite being under constant surveillance and was able to avoid arrest following a major British raid on his premises. Noyk’s trusted position in the republican movement saw him charged with defending IRA fighters, including Commandant Seán MacEoin, at British court-martial proceedings.

His post-war career saw him establish a successful legal practice and he became the legal advisor to renowned Irish fighters Ernie O’Malley, Dan Breen and Seán Hogan. Noyk worked tirelessly to memoralize those who gave their lives fighting for the cause and he played an important role in the restoration of Kilmainham Gaol.

This is the first biography to detail the complete life story of Michael Noyk.

Barry Whelan is a historian of twentieth-century Irish and European history specializing in legal and diplomatic affairs. He has written extensively in many academic publications and his first biography explored the life and times of Leopold Kerney, Ireland’s diplomat in Spain during the Second World War.