Rayner (Daniel) O'Connor Lysaght

RIP Rayner. Very saddened to hear of his passing, a huge loss to the broad socialist republican movement and to the Irish labour history community.

My condolences to Rayner's family, friends and comrades.

Deepest sympathy to Rayner's wife Aine and his wider family on their sad loss. I have fond memories of Raynor's contributions to many meetings, book launches and gatherings. Through his erudition and scholarship he made an invaluable contribution to the study and understanding of Irish Labour, radical and anti-imperialist history.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis

We butted heads in the '60s over aspects of Trotskyism and the State Capitalist analysis of the Soviet Union. A man of great erudition and rock-solid integrity.

I remember Rayner. I first met him in 1973, my fourth trip to Dublin.
At that time we were trying to build in France a group in support of the Irish struggle. I also was a member of the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire.
The Fourth International was sometimes a sort of youth hostel in summer : I remember having pitched my tent in the tiny yard of Áine and Rayner's house in Clanawley Road.
I remember long discussions, trying to compare Ireland with Palestine, Algeria, or Cyprus.
I remember Rayner's accent, his individual style in his many books, pamphlets and articles, that I still have in my bookcases.
And I remember Áine, friendly and welcoming, to whom, 50 years later, I send my sincere condolences.

I met Rayner, like many of the contributors here, at various meetings and protests over the years. Suffice to say he was sound on all the major issues of his time. Sympathy to Aine and all his family.

Very sorry to hear of Rayner’s death. His work and extraordinary contribution lives on.
Sending sincere condolences to Aine and to all Rayner’s family and friends

Very sorry to hear of Rayner's passing. As a socialist and dedicated labour historian he will be sadly missed.

Deepest condolences to his friends, comrades and family. RIP.

Very sorry to hear of Rayner's death. He was a lifelong revolutionary and a great scholar. He will be sorely missed.

Sending my deepest condolences Áine, thinking of you today.

Helen x

Dear Daniel,
You have been the centre of my life and have earned a rest. You will be greatly missed by your family and large circle of friends. You have made your mark on history.
I would like to thank everyone who attended his service and showed their lasting friendship. A special thank you to Anne Conway for all your support and to John McNulty for his contribution.
Áine

My deepest condolences to Rayners wife Áine and all his family and friends at this difficult time. His passing is a loss to all Socialists, Labour history and wider society. Socialist Republicanism gained much by his flame of analysis and thoughtful engagement and indeed encouragement. A true revolutionary, reflective and respectful. I hope we shall see more of his writings in circulation. Everyone would be the better for studying his work.

Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann!

Rayner, your fantastically brilliant mind is now at rest. Thank you for the many evenings shared in your home eating Aine's delicious food and enjoying your dry wit. I have known you since I was a child and you travelled everywhere on your honda 50 with Aine clinging to you tightly. I have missed you since you left Clanawley Road for Killester Avenue but still popped in for a visit. I will miss you my friend and Aine my deepest condolences to you.

Dear Aine so sorry to hear of Rayner's passing, a true gentleman.

So sad to hear of Rayners passing.Such a beautiful man who will be missed by many

Wonderful, steadfast, learned, loyal, idealistic, witty Rayner. More than just one of our greatest historians but a principled activist as well. Outstanding historian of the Limerick Soviet. I have so many good memories of him for more than fifty years. I am deeply saddened by his death and I offer my condolences to Áine, his family, friends and comrades.

Sorry to hear about the passing of Rayner. My condolences to his family, friends and comrades in the anti-imperialist movement in Ireland. Rayner was a great supporter of a united Ireland and of the political prisoners on protests for political status in the H-Blocks and Armagh Women's prison in the late 1970s and early 80s. I met him at protests in Dublin and at conferences. He was a gentleman, with a soft voice and an encyclopedic mind. He keenly passed on his scholarly knowledge in an a gentle and unassuming manner. And I will always remember him for that and his gentle yet persuasive ways.

Freddie and I knew Rayner from the late sixties through Peter Graham. When Rayner went on his lecture tours he often let us stay in his flat on Stephene Green.
Always kind and humorous it was a pleasure to spend time with him. His knowledge of irish history and socialiam was evident.
Our condolences to Aine, thanks for the hospitality she showed us when we visited.
A lovely man and comrade.

Pam and Freddie.

Uncle Rayner, a big ponderous man who ate everything in the house. But he had one super power: choosing books. Alway interesting, always challenging, we will miss you.

Ps I hope they have the hitchhikers guide wherever you end up

We were very sad to hear of Rayner’s passing. Rayner was a proper gentleman, and a wonderful neighbour.
Our deepest symphahy to Aine & Rayners family.

Although Rayner is gone from us, his achievements and dedication will always be in our memory and admiration.

We are both very sad to hear of Rayner's death.

Our deepest sympathy to Áine.

Rayner was always courteous and friendly, even when he was correcting some historical or political analysis with which he didn't agree. He will be missed, not least for his generous sharing of his wide-ranging knowledge.

I first met Rayner in the mid 1970s and learned of his contributions to the history of the Irish workers' movement, to anti-imperialist politics and to resolving the National Question. He knew a lot and was always happy to help the rest of us find out more.

While researching Conor Cruise O'Brien some years ago, I benefited from reading Rayner's then hard to get 1976 pamphlet on a liberal moving right under cover of the left, End of a Liberal, the Literary Politics of Conor Cruise O'Brien (foolishly turned down by New Left Review). In 2008 we made a PDF version, available on the University of Ulster CAIN website. It reproduces the cover of Rayner's The Republic of Ireland (Mercier, 1970, which should be made available as well).

Steadfast to the last, condolences to Áine, to his family and to his comrades.

Rayner lived a life of consistency with his revolutionary ideas. He contributed so much to Labour History, and was a wise and cryptic commentator on political events. Up to recently, I met him at protests for Palestine, which was always a joy. Condolences to Aine and his family and close friends. .

My condolences to all Rayner's family and friends. Although I only knew him briefly in the period 1969-71, I remember him vividly.and have followed his writings with interest since then.

Condolences to Rayner's family. He was a loveable man, and a brilliant comrade.

Although it's a few years now since we last met, I am saddened to learn of Rayner's passing. His loss will regretted by all who knew him and by everyone with an interest in labour history.

Rayner Lysaght was a great socialist and anti-imperialist, a true hero of the socialist movement. His erudition, courage and steadfastness were an inspiration to all.
Condolences to Aine, and to all Rayner's family, friends and comrades.

My condolences to the family and friends of Rayner on his passing. I always enjoyed his contributions to history conferences and events, and admired his work on the Limerick Soviet and Irish working class history more broadly. It was a pleasure to speak together on panels on a few occasions. May he Rest in Peace.

Rayner was a true polymath with many interests, skills and a true scholars depth of knowledge. What tied everything together was his life as a standardbearer for revolutionary socialism and Irish freedom and the absolute dedication with which he pursued that goal over the decades.

His name will live on.

Very sad indeed to hear of Rayner's death, having known him for 52 or 53 years. Sadly, the last time we met was at a commemoration for our murdered comrade and friend Peter Graham a few years ago. Rayner was very much himself that day and as clear (and loquacious) as ever.

I think Des Derwin's contribution here just about sums it up with regard to his contribution to Irish left-wing politics and to Irish labour history -- an unmatched record on the history front and an unbending insistence on the rightness of the Trotskyist position. It's heart-warming also to see political opponents of his views such as Mick O'Reilly and Manus O'Riordan make such sincere and admiring remarks here too. Rayner was a well-regarded comrade, and not just in his own circle.

Deepest sympathy to Aine and all Rayner's wider family.

Rayner will be long remembered for his selfless dedication to the socialist cause.He gave everything he had, both materially and intellectually, to the fight against injustice and exploitation. The appreciation and respect shown to him by such a wide spectrum of socialist and republican opinion indicates what a special person he was. Hopefully, at a future date, we will have an opportunity to pay proper tribute to Rayner's contribution and achievements. In the meantime our thoughts are with Aine and his close comrade Anne.

So sad to hear of the passing of Rayner who was such a powerful presence and friend in the Socialist Republican movement as I knew it in the 70's and 80's in Dublin and Belfast. A really lovely man, who was kind and warm and inspirational in his knowledge and commitment.
Very sincere sympathy to Aine and his family.

I first met Rayner in the mid 1970s and thereafter of his contribuiton to the Irish struggle and to the history of the Irish Workers movement. When researching Conor Cruise O'Brien I benefited greatly from re-reading Rayner's hard to get 1976 pamphlet on a 'liberal' moving right under cover of the left, End of a Liberal, the Literary Politics of Conor Cruise O'Brien (foolishly turned down by New Left Review). We made an electronic version in 2008. Steadfast to the last, condolences to Aine, Rayner's family and his comrades.

Farewell to a radical gentleman. I have great memories of representing Irish Labour History Society with Raynard, at Huddersfield University.

A great character, learned and perceptive but with a good sense of humour as well.

I had the good fortune of meeting Rayner at a few history functions, and I remember at one how he introduced himself as "the last of the independents" with a wry smile. I was a young scholar then but he was very generous with his time and expertise. A loss to the Irish historical community. My condolences to his family.

Lovely uncle Rayner. Thank you for your kindness and humor and for instilling in myself and my children a love of books. You were one of a kind and we will all miss you. Our thoughts are with you Aine at this difficult time. Kate, Dudley, Dylan and Beth.

In all our agreements and disagreements since the mid 1960s, our friendship and my affection for Rayner never ceased. R.I.P. Sincere condolences. Manus O’Riordan.

A great loss to the left and to Irish history writing more widely.

Condolences to Rayner's family and comrades I've known Rayner since 1967 when he used to regularly attend Connolly youth movement and communist public lectures. You could always sure of a contribution from Rayner he was a life long supporter of the left opposition in the Soviet Union. He never changed his views on that matter. Likewise his consistency on the anti imperialist struggle in Ireland was rock solid. In recent times he edited the memoir of Matt Merrigan and did a wonderful professional job . What stood out for me in all the contraversary he was involved in was his unfailing courtesy he showed to his opponents.
Rayner will be sadly missed

Shocked to hear the sad news of Rayner's passing. My deepest sympathies to you Áine and the rest of his family. My thoughts are with you all at this sad and most difficult time. Rayner was a true comrade, a dedicated socialist and an advocate against injustice. He will be sadly missed. Rayner has left a wonderful legacy in his writings for us all to admire and to use to strive for and to work towards a better and fairer world. May he rest in peace.

I was very sorry to hear of Rayner's passing. My deepest sympathy to Aine.

I've known Rayner since the late 1960s. We never became close friends but I had an unflagging affection for him. He wrote 'The Republic of Ireland' when in-depth Irish marxist literarure was rare. This frontrunning continued with his contribution to the pioneering 'Ireland: Divided Nation, Divided Class'. He was an outstanding historian with an encylopedic knowledge. His writings and intellectual contribution will live on. A long shelf of crucial research, hard work and astute observation. He did much to make more of James Connolly's writings available. He ensured that Mattie Merrigan would be properly remembered. He was a stalwarth of the Irish Labour History Society. Rayner was among the first to put the militant working class back into the Irish Revolution. He always strived to keep anti-imperialism in the labour movement. Rayner was always an activist, involved in many issues in his own way. Rayner was utterly sincere. He was always pleasant and friendly. Not the easiest speaker to chair: never troublesome, just too much knowledge to impart. As we are now seeing, he was widely respected and widely liked. He has done the workers' movement some service.

Sincere condolences to Rayner's family, friends and comrades. At this sad time I can't helping thinking of his great friend and comrade Pat O'Connor who we also lost only a few short years ago.

Farewell Comrade Rayner

Farewell Comrade Rayner

Always there and a presence at every protest and gathering from the 1960s onwards.Selfless. He will be missed by all who knew him, argued or agreed with him.. Rest in peace but unlikely. Its not his disposition.

Dear Uncle Rayner, I shall miss your intellectual insights & musings (usually on subjects beyond my understanding!), your love of literature (which you generously promoted in myself and my daughter's over the years) and your integrity & passion in the pursuit of your socialist beliefs & values. You will be sadly missed by the Family.

Very sad to hear of Rayner's passing, he was a revolutionary through and through. Sincere condolences to his family and to all comrades who benefitted from his friendship and wisdom down the years.

I'm so sorry to lose Rayner. He was a generous and encouraging friend and a great old trouper for the cause. I measc laochra lucht oibre is lucht staire lucht oibre go raibh a anam.

Rest in peace ... yourself and Anne has great chats with us as kids when you were heading to do your shopping. Fond Memories

Very sad to hear of his passing. Rayner was a gentleman, witty and always very informative. He contributed so much to labour history and to the work of the Irish Labour History Society. He will be missed.

My sympathies to Áine, his family and friends.

My condolences to all of Rayner’s family. A very interesting man and a great person to have a conversation with. May he Rest In Peace.

Met him first in 1968/69. An incredibly erudite person. Widely respected for the depth and well research approach to historical and political subjects. I recall a lecture he gave on James Joyce's Ulysses. he had painstakingly went through the newspaper of that famous day checking every allusion. Always willing to share his knowledge and help others. His prime motivation was social justice for which he dedicated his life. Condolences to his partner Aine, family and friends

So sorry to hear about Rayner’s death. A very sad and tough time for his wife Aine who remains in hospital. My sincere condolences and may he rest in peace

Saddened to learn of the passing of Rayner. We did not see eye to eye, but I always respected his selfless integrity and total commitment to Socialism and a far far better world. Sincere condolences to Aine, the family and all his comrades

Deepest sympathy .

A dedicated socialist and principled anti imperialist who challenged those who stood back from and those who opposed the demand for self determination.
His generosity is well known to those who needed it. Deeply respected for the personal sacrifice he made gladly and without hesitation.

Very sad at the loss of such a clever and charming man as Rayner.