While there is merit to this claim, it does appear to be more complex than this account. Antisemitism did exist in the city at this time and Quill was a devout Catholic. Barry Desmond in his book 'No Workers Republic' testifies to the antisemitic feeling in the city at the time. There was a strong anti-communist sentiment within Labour and the party had been constantly assailed in the city by professor Alfred O'Rahilly and many figures within the Roman Church, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The Communist Party in Eire had been disbanded but the NI party still existed. O'Riordan and Nagle attended the NI Communist Party conference in Belfast in October 1943 with four Labour members (including John De Courcey Ireland). A report in the "Irish Press" suggests that the Administrative Council "'had become aware that certain persons in Cork were engaging in activities which appear to be inconsistent with their membership of the Labour Party and accordingly they appointed a subcommittee to investigate the membership and administration of the Liam Mellows Branch"'. This was headed up by vice-chair, TJ Murphy. They heard the complaint against O'Riordan and Nagle being present at the (NI) Communist Party conference. O'Riordan maintained that he had only attended to meet former comrades socially. Following an investigation, the committee recommended the expulsion of both and the decision was approved of by the Parliamentary Party. The two Cork members were expelled on 5 February 1944 and the 4 Dublin members in April. Both decisions were ratified by the annual conference that year. But there are no reports or minutes of O'Riordan being expelled by the party locally on the Jewish episode but it is likely that it played a role in the expulsions. Likewise, it is clear that Timothy Quill, as a theologian and Christian Socialist held strong anti-Soviet views as possibly anti-Semitic views. The perceived threat of Soviet communism was perhaps the reason that Timothy Quill was nominated as Chair of the Liam Mellows Branch. It was around this time that the IT&GWU disaffiliated from Labour and the National Labour Party and separate Trade Union Congress on the basis that Soviets were infiltrating the Labour Party. There are records of Quill's criticism of the media for their portrayal of him and the Labour cause. In a letter published in "The Southern Star" from June 1933, he labelled criticisms made as 'ignorant'. Quill did not contest the 1950 Cork Corporation election and seemingly never stood for election again.