Born in Derry, Canning spent time in Gweedore practising the Irish language before working in London for a few years in the late 1940s.
[1][2] He had returned to Derry by April 1951, when he secretly attached the flag of Ireland to the top of Walker's Pillar in the city.
As a result of this experience, Canning was sent to England in 1953,[4] where he, Cathal Goulding and Seán Mac Stíofáin raided the British Officers Training Corps School, obtaining a significant amount of weaponry.
[6] While in prison, Canning stood for Sinn Féin in Londonderry at the 1955 general election, taking 35.5% of the vote.
[11] While in New York, Canning spent time with Brendan Behan,[6] and in 1964 met Naoko, the couple later marrying and moving back to Derry.