Ken McCue

Meet Ken McCue, the TU Dublin alumnus & now mentor who has spent a lifetime challenging injustice, championing young people and using sport to bring communities together.

Ken McCue is a bit like Benjamin Button. At 72, he seems to have more energy, curiosity and enthusiasm than most people half his age. He puts it down to a lifetime spent working with young people, something he has absolutely no intention of giving up. 

When I ask if he's retired, he looks almost appalled at the suggestion. 

We're having coffee when Ken notices a group of students behind me, busy making placards. Within seconds, he's turned around to find out what they're doing, what they're protesting about, and whether he can join them. He's delighted to see them taking a stand. Only a Teams call prevents him from going along. 

This is Ken. Curious, outspoken, politically engaged and always ready to get involved. 

And he's been like this for a very long time. 

A Radical Beginning 

To understand Ken, you have to go back to where he came from. 

He grew up in Smithfield, Dublin, in a neighbourhood he remembers as socially conscious, politically engaged and strongly opposed to sectarianism. His family lived alongside Presbyterians, Methodists and Quakers, and political discussion was part of everyday life. His grandmother had 21 children, and his father, born somewhere in the middle, was, as Ken describes him, "radically aware". Even family shopping reflected their principles. His maternal grandfather refused to buy Brennan's Bread because of concerns about trade union recognition. 

At just 15, Ken became involved in the anti-apartheid movement. He was deeply influenced by the raised-fist protest of American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and by Australian athlete Peter Norman, who stood in solidarity with them. 

Around the same age, Ken left school and began training as a technician at Kevin Street, following in the footsteps of his father, an engineer.  He loved it. After the restrictions of school, Kevin Street offered freedom, new ideas and the opportunity to question the world around him. 

His favourite subject was General Studies, taught by Flor O'Mahony, a Cork man who recognised Ken's appetite for political debate and encouraged him to read widely. One day, Flor handed him a library slip for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a novel about life in a Soviet labour camp. 

It opened another door. 

Ken became involved in the Students' Union, helped organise protests and strikes, and contributed to the Kevin Street student newspaper, writing for the sports section. By the time he graduated in 1976, he suspects some of the college authorities were relieved to see him go. There might, at last, be fewer marches. 

But Ken's activism was only beginning. His life would take him into trade unionism, political education, international solidarity movements and even Moscow, where he studied Marxist political theory during the 1980s. 

Throughout it all, two things remained constant: his belief in social justice and his love of sport. Those passions eventually came together in an organisation that would become a significant part of his life's work. 

Taking a Stand Against Racism 

In 1997, the European Year Against Racism, Ken saw an opportunity to use sport to challenge prejudice and help people from migrant backgrounds feel part of Irish society. He was already deeply concerned about the discrimination faced by the Traveller community and recognised how easily those same prejudices could be directed towards others. 

Attending the official launch in Dublin Castle, he felt that a reception with wine and cheese wasn't going to do much to tackle racism. Then came a rather unlikely moment of inspiration. Standing in the cloakroom queue behind a woman from the Indian Embassy wearing a sari, the idea for Soccer Against Racism Ireland, or SARI, came to him. 

Together with Frank Buckley and photographer Perry Ogden, he established the organisation, using sport to challenge racism, xenophobia and discrimination. In 1999, SARI broadened its focus to all sports and helped establish Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE). 

Nearly 30 years later, Ken remains deeply concerned about the rise of racism and far-right movements. He believes education must start young, which is why SARI has developed programmes for primary school children to help them recognise and challenge prejudice. 

Ken with Indian Academic Smita Tharoor

More Than Just a Game 

For Ken, sport has always been about much more than competition. It's a way of bringing people together, building friendships, and creating opportunities that might otherwise never exist. Nelson Mandela's belief that sport has the power to change the world is one Ken has carried throughout his life. 

Since stepping away from SARI, he has continued that work through the Dr Harry Edwards International Foundation of Sport for Social Good, Insaka Ireland All Africa Youth and Cultural Movement and Titans Athletic Club. From supporting a football academy in Nigeria in partnership with Glentoran Football Club to mentoring young athletes of African heritage in Ireland, his focus remains firmly on inclusion, opportunity and belonging. 

As Manager of Insaka-Glentoran Football Academy

Back Where It All Began 

More than 50 years after his time at Kevin Street, Ken is once again working with TU Dublin students. Mentoring has become an important part of his work, whether through SARI, Insaka or his international involvement in sport and education. He has also supported TU Dublin students on welfare issues, drawing on his years of experience in advocacy and community work. 

Ken loves working with young people because, as he puts it, "they challenge you." They ask questions, bring fresh ideas and aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in. In return, he hopes his experience can help them find their voice and navigate some of life's challenges. 

So, What's Next? 

Quite a lot, as it turns out. 

Ken is currently advising a TU Dublin student on writing his autobiography, advocating for students with disabilities and campaigning for a swimming pool and running track at Grangegorman. He's also involved in several new Insaka initiatives, including the Hit Racism for Six campaign, an exhibition on the history of decolonisation and a Football Makes History programme for schools. 

Alongside his continuing work with the Irish Network Against Racism, he has ambitions to stage a major street dance festival and, somewhere along the way, read every book in his library. 

More than 50 years after he first walked through the doors of Kevin Street, Ken is still challenging injustice, championing young people and encouraging them to make their voices heard. 

And given half a chance, he'd be right there marching alongside them. 

Retired? Not a hope.