Danny ”speedy” O’keane

Daniel grew up in Belfast with poor Irish parents with 2 older brothers and a younger sister who died as a child of dysentery. For most of his youth he was on the streets stealing money, food and basically doing whatever he needed to come by. Then the Great War happened, he immediately volunteered with his father and 2 brothers to join the war where he was recruited into the tunnelers of the royal engineers. He had fought at the Somme with his brothers and Father. He was the only one of them who survived after no British reinforcements arrived to support his parts of the tunnel. It was said it was miraculous he escaped. He returned after this battle being unfit for battle. He had gotten a metal for bravery but tossed it away. He tried to support his mother but it was hard. No one had need for a Irish worker in Belfast. He started to go to bars affiliated with the IRA wanting to join them to feel included with something. The Ira accepted him as they accepted anyone loyal to the Ireland. His mother in the mean time had died of a stroke and Daniel was all alone. He only had the IRA and fully went behind them creating his own newspaper. “Free ‘Ire” it was and is his life’s work after the Great War. There’s nothing he is more devoted to than his newspaper and a Free United ireland...