Over recent days, many people have been talking about Mick Lynch amid rail strikes in the United Kingdom.
The strikes took place on Tuesday over pay, jobs and conditions, and led to just 20% of trains running.
Mick has even caught the attention of Irish Twitter, but who is he and what are his connections to Ireland?
Who is Mick Lynch?
Mick Lynch is the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and took over the position in May 2021.
He was brought up on a council estate in Paddington in London and later qualified as an electrician, working in the construction industry. He was blacklisted because of his involvement in unions, so then moved to work on the railways in 1993. He later received compensation for being illegally blacklisted.
Mick joined the RMT whilst working on the railways and served two terms on its executive. In 2020, he stepped up to the role of acting general secretary as the previous leader, Mick Cash, became unwell.
His term in this role was cut short when he stood down due to “toxic” atmosphere among the executive. Despite this, he was elected to the role on a permanent basis less than a year later.
What are his Irish connections?
Mick is the son of Irish Catholic parents, who moved to England during the Blitz. He told BBC’s Nick Robinson on his podcast that being a Catholic was an “everyday, permanent experience” rather than a lifestyle choice.
He also said that his family were from a “Republican tradition”.
“They weren’t active Republicans but it’s the Meilleur, I think the posh people call it,” he said.
In a recent interview on ITV’s flagship politics show Peston, Mick was asked who his political hero was, to which he said James Connolly.
He asked the host whether she knew who it was and said: “Irish Socialist Republican. He educated himself and he started non-sectarian trade unionism in Ireland and he was a hero of the Irish revolution.
“He’s a hero,” he said.
What has happened in the media?
Mick Lynch has been praised for his witty shut-downs to a number of presenters and politicians live on air.
On BBC’s Politics Live, he said that Tory MP Jonathan Gullis should “apologise for talking nonsense” when the politician suggested that Mick should say sorry to those affected by the strikes.
He told Labour’s Baroness Chapman: “I don’t even know who you are.”
In an interview with Sky News’ Kay Burley, he said the presenter's questions were "verging into the nonsense". When asked what strikers would do if agency staff crossed the picket line, he said she had "gone off into a world that isn’t real", and said: "I can’t believe this line of questioning."
What happened with Piers Morgan?
Mick made an appearance on Piers Morgan uncensored, with the host asking about his profile picture on Facebook, which was an image of Thunderbird’s villain The Hood.
Piers said: “I’m just wondering where the comparison goes. [The Hood] was obviously an evil, criminal, terrorist mastermind, described as the world’s most dangerous man who wrecked utter carnage on the public.”
Mick explained that it was a joke between his friends as physically, he had a likeness to The Hood.
Piers described the character as “the most evil, dangerous person in the world”, to which Mick had to explain that the Thunderbirds were not real.
“He’s the most evil puppet made out of vinyl in the world,” Mick replied.
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