Tony Gregory (5 December 1947 – 2 January 2009) was an Irish independent politician, and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency from 1982 to 2009. Early life Gregory was born in Ballybough on Dublin's Northside, the second child of Anthony Gregory and Ellen Gregory (née Judge). His mother, born in 1904 in Croghan, County Offaly, had moved to Dublin to work as a waitress, while his father, born in the North Strand area of Dublin, worked as a warehouseman in Dublin Port. His family originally lived in a one-room apartment in Charleville Street. The family applied to be housed by Dublin Corporation but were denied, with an official saying "come back when you have six [children]". The incident left an impression on Gregory, and he would refer to it in interviews later in life. The family was able later to move to a house in Sackville Gardens, near the Royal Canal, using money they had saved. Gregory won a Dublin Corporation scholarship to the Christian Brothers’ O'Connell School. He later went on to University College Dublin (UCD), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and later a Higher Diploma in Education, funding his degree from summer work at the Wall's ice cream factory in Acton, London. Initially working at Synge Street CBS, Gregory later taught at Coláiste Eoin, an Irish-language secondary school in Booterstown, where he taught history and French. His students both at Synge Street and Coláiste Eoin included John Crown, Colm Mac Eochaidh, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Liam Ó Maonlaí. Political career Sinn Féin and the IRSP He became involved in republican politics, joining Sinn Féin and the IRA in 1964. In UCD he helped found the UCD Republican Club, despite pressure from college authorities, and became involved with the Dublin Housing Action Committee. Within the party he was a supporter of Wicklow Republican Seamus Costello. Costello, who was a member of Wicklow County Council, emphasised involvement in local politics and was an opponent of abstentionism. Gregory sided with the Officials in the 1970 split within Sinn Féin. Despite having a promising future within the party, he resigned in 1972 citing frustration with ideological infighting in the party. Later, his mentor Costello —who had been expelled by Official Sinn Féin — approached him and asked him to join his new party, the Irish Republican Socialist Party. Gregory left the party after Costello's assassination in