“Its now almost 24 hours since I learnt of the passing of a great friend and comrade, John Molyneux, and I am still trying to come to terms with that awful news. John was larger than life,a great Marxist academic and a great political activist. I first became aware of John at the Marxism festival in London. I always attended his meetings. He had the unique gift of making the most complex of issues easily understood by people like myself.

Not long after he moved to Ireland John established the Irish Marxist Review, now Ireland’s reading Marxist journal. In quick succession he published books on Anarchism, Marxist philosophy and the main stream media. He played a leading role in the SWN, UAR and People Before Profit.

Anytime I had to stay in Dublin overnight, I usually stayed with John and Mary. The many conversations I had with them increased my knowledge, not just of politics but of a broad range of issues. Staying with John and Mary also meant meeting with comrades from around the world, from Egypt, Greece and Britain.

On a recent occasion Mary was out for the evening and John told me of his younger days as a poker player, of the various characters he met in unofficial gambling clubs. He sure lived a full life. The last time I stayed with them was for Marxism. On the Saturday evening the news broke about the racist, anti asylum seeker mob in East Wall. John had the task of writing the UAR statement in response.

I will miss John, and just as everybody else said, he had the ability to make everybody feel welcome. The world will be a poorer place without John.

My condolences to his partner Mary, his family, friends and comrades.”