Michael Ewing obituary: Passionate environmentalist with his eye on the target

Born June 15th, 1951

Died November 28th, 2023

Michael Ewing, the committed environmental campaigner and consummate networker within the environmental movement in Ireland, has died following a short illness.

Ewing was a leading figure in the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) and co-ordinator of the Environmental Pillar, the advocacy arm of the IEN, which represented environmental organisations in social dialogue about policy with the Irish government.

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Described by those who knew him well as calm, warm and witty yet determined and persistent in his work on environmental causes, Ewing’s core skill was his ability to bring together disparate factions of the environmental movement so that they could trust each other and present a strong, unified voice. A tireless worker, he regularly travelled by train from his home in Roscommon to meet politicians, government officials, journalists and fellow environmentalists. He was also a member of the National Economic and Social Council, the National Climate Dialogue Advisory Group and the National Advisory Group for Public Participation Networks – local authority structures in which citizens engage on policy formation and decision making.

His earlier work placing local environmental representatives on strategic policy committees on every county council informed the democratic structures that later became the PPNs.

[ President Higgins pays tribute after death of environmentalist Michael Ewing ]

Ewing was also one of Ireland’s strongest advocates of the Aarhus Convention, an international agreement that gives people access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making and justice in environmental matters.

Prof Áine Ryall, chairwoman of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and lecturer in law at University College Cork described Ewing as an “outstanding champion of the Aarhus Convention” who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of its vital role in supporting environmental democracy.

Ewing was involved in the creation of Coalition 2030, the civil society group of more than 70 organisations formed to champion the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015. He frequently spoke about how the biosphere was the most important domain supporting all life, society and the economy.

Oisín Coghlan, chief executive officer of Friends of the Earth, said the relationships and networks Ewing helped build contributed to environmental issues becoming mainstream policy concerns. “He was a man of seemingly infinite patience and persistence. He needed these qualities as much for co-ordinating the many and varied environmental nongovernmental organisations – which was akin to herding cats for much of the decade – as he did for building relationships and advocating policy changes with department officials who weren’t always ready to accept how much change was needed,” Coghlan said. Journalist Niall Sargent, who worked at the IEN with Ewing in 2017-2020, said he changed the face of the environmental movement in Ireland. “He was a very good listener and made everyone feel like they were heard even if they didn’t get everything they wanted.”

Following his retirement as the co-ordinator of the IEN and the Environmental Pillar in 2019, Ewing became the voluntary chairman of the Green Party policy council from December 2020 to December 2022, supporting party members to develop new policy areas. “He didn’t waste time with petty arguments or personality clashes. He worked around them and kept his eye on the target,” said Bláithín Gallagher, chairwoman of the northwest branch of the Green Party and close friend of Ewing.

He fitted right into the alternative lifestyle popular among many who moved to Leitrim and Roscommon in the 1970s

Ewing, born in Petersborough, England, was one of six children of Kevin and Olive Ewing. He attended the John Fisher Catholic Grammar School in Purley, south London. His father – whose family origins were in Donegal – worked on experimental farms in the north of England before training to become a teacher, specialising in environmental science.

Spending time in rural England in his childhood would go on to have a lifelong impact on the young Ewing. As a teenager he was also involved in fundraising for Oxfam and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Ewing studied applied biology at Brunel University, where he was vice-president of the students’ union. He was also chairman of the National Union of Students (NUS) in the region and editor of the NUS regional newspaper.

In 1976, a year after graduation, he decided to move to live in Ireland after visiting friends from Brunel University who had settled in Roscommon.

Married with young children, he fitted right into the alternative lifestyle popular among many who moved to Leitrim and Roscommon in the 1970s. Working on various jobs while renovating an old farmhouse and planting native trees in his one acre plot of land, Ewing wrote about sustainable living in the environmental magazine Common Ground.

He became peace education officer with the CND, giving talks to school and community groups on the threats posed by nuclear weapons while also partaking in anti-nuclear protests. He also worked as a volunteer facilitator with Co-operation North, the cross-Border peace-building organisation that later became Co-operation Ireland.

Later, he set up Frameworks, a picture framing business, which he ran from his home, while also being a hands-on father to his young children. During this time, he became involved in many local environmental and heritage organisations.

When his children were older, Ewing completed a master’s in environmental science at Sligo Institute of Technology (now Atlantic Technological University Sligo) in 2003.

In 2006-2008 he was the lead researcher at the Centre for Sustainability at the IT Sligo on a project studying access to information, participation and justice in environmental decision-making. This work led directly to his future work with the IEN and the Environmental Pillar.

His second wife, Marion, said Michael was a very loving and much loved husband, father and brother, who, despite his many achievements, was happiest when spending time with his family.

Michael Ewing is survived by his wife, Marion (Parker), his children from his first marriage, Emma, Daniel and Oisin; grandchildren, Alex, Annie B, Otis and Elle; sisters Elizabeth and Mary; and brothers Paul, Martin and Gerard.