Isaac Butt
Encyclopedia
Isaac Butt Q.C.
M.P.
(6 September 1813 – 5 May 1879) was an Irish
barrister
, politician, Member of Parliament
(MP), and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
in 1836, the Home Government Association
in 1870 and in 1873 the Home Rule League
.
, part of the Province of Ulster
in the north of Ireland
. He was the son of a Protestant rector
but was also descended from the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell, through the Ramsays. Butt received his secondary school education at the Royal School in Raphoe
, County Donegal, and at Midleton College, County Cork
, before going to Trinity College Dublin at the age of fifteen. Whilst there he co-founded the Dublin University Magazine
and edited it for four years. For much of his life was a member of the Irish Conservative Party
. He became professor of political economy at Trinity in 1836 and held that position until 1841.
. He was known for his opposition to the Irish nationalist
leader Daniel O'Connell
's campaign for the repeal of the Act of Union. He also lectured at Trinity College, Dublin, in political economy. His experiences during the Irish Famine led him to move from being an Irish unionist and an Orangeman
to supporting a federal
political system for the British Isles that would give Ireland a greater degree of self-rule. This led to his involvement in Irish nationalist politics and the foundation of the Home Rule League. Butt was instrumental in fostering links between Constitutional and Revolutionary nationalism through his representation of members of the Fenian
s Society in court.
. He was Member of Parliament
for Youghal
from 1852 to 1865, and for Limerick
from 1871 to 1879 (at the 1852 general election
he had also been elected for the English constituency of Harwich
, but chose to sit for Youghal).
The failed Fenian rising in 1867 strengthened Butt's belief that a federal system was the only way to break the dreary cycle of inefficient administration punctuated by incompetent uprisings. In 1870 he founded the Irish Home Government Association
. This was in no sense a revolutionary organisation. It was designed to mobilize public opinion behind the demand for an Irish parliament, with, as he put it, "full control over our domestic affairs." He believed that Home Rule would promote friendship between Ireland and her neighbour to the east.
In November 1873 Butt replaced the Association with a new body, the Home Rule League
, which he regarded as a pressure-group, rather than a political party. In the general election the following year 59 of its members were elected. However, most of those elected were men of property who were closer to the Liberal cause. In the meantime Charles Stewart Parnell
had joined the League, with more radical ideas than most of the incumbent Home Rulers, and was elected to parliament in a by-election in Meath in 1875.
Butt had failed to win substantial concessions in Westminster
on the things that mattered to most Irish people: an amnesty for the Fenians of '67, fixity of tenure for tenant-farmers and Home Rule. Although they worked to get Home Rulers elected, many Fenians along with tenant farmers were dissatisfied with Butt's gentlemanly approach to have bills enacted, although they did not openly attack him, as his defence of the Fenian prisoners in '67 still stood in his favour. However, soon a Belfast Home Ruler, Joseph Gillis Biggar (then a senior member of the IRB
), began making extensive use of the ungentlemanly tactic of "obstructionism" to prevent bills being passed by the house.
When Parnell entered parliament he took his cue from Joseph Biggar and allied himself with those Irish members who would support him in his obstructionist campaign. MPs at that time could stand up and talk for as long as they wished on any subject. This caused havoc in parliament. In one case they talked for 45 hours non-stop, stopping any important bills from being passed. Butt, ageing, and in failing health, could not keep up with this tactic and considered it counter-productive. In July 1877 Butt threatened to resign from the party if obstruction continued, and a gulf developed between himself and Parnell, who was growing steadily in the estimation of both the Fenians and the Home Rulers.
The climax came in December 1878, when parliament was recalled to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Butt considered this discussion too important to the British Empire to be interrupted by obstructionism and publicly warned the Irish members to refrain from this tactic. He was fiercely denounced by the young Nationalist John Dillon
, who continued his attacks with considerable support from other Home Rulers at a meeting of the Home Rule League in February 1879. Although he defended himself with dignity, Butt, and all and sundry, knew that his role in the party was at an end.
Butt, who had been suffering from bronchitis, had a stroke the following May and died within a week. He was replaced by William Shaw
, who in turn was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell
in 1880.
He died on 5 May 1879 in Clonskeagh
in Dublin. His remains were brought by train to Stranorlar
, Co. Donegal, where he is buried in a corner of the Church of Ireland
cemetery beneath a tree by which he used to sit and dream as a boy.
Despite his chaotic lifestyle and political limitations, Butt was capable of inspiring deep personal loyalty.Some of his friends, such as John Butler Yeats (father of the poet WB Yeats) and the future Catholic Bishop of Limerick Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, retained a lasting hostility towards Parnell for his role in Butt's downfall.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
M.P.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(6 September 1813 – 5 May 1879) was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, politician, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
The Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society was an Irish political movement based in Dublin which was linked to the Irish Conservative Party, the main political party in Ireland until 1859....
in 1836, the Home Government Association
Home Government Association
The Home Government Association was a pressure group founded by Isaac Butt in 1870 in support of home rule for Ireland.Its inaugural public meeting was held on 1 September 1870.It became the Home Rule League in 1873....
in 1870 and in 1873 the Home Rule League
Home Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
.
Early life
Butt was born in 1813 in Glenfin, a district bordering the Finn Valley in County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, part of the Province of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was the son of a Protestant rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
but was also descended from the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell, through the Ramsays. Butt received his secondary school education at the Royal School in Raphoe
Raphoe
Raphoe is a town in County Donegal, part of the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.-Name:Raphoe,...
, County Donegal, and at Midleton College, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, before going to Trinity College Dublin at the age of fifteen. Whilst there he co-founded the Dublin University Magazine
Dublin University Magazine
The Dublin University Magazine was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature.-Early days:...
and edited it for four years. For much of his life was a member of the Irish Conservative Party
Irish Conservative Party
The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century...
. He became professor of political economy at Trinity in 1836 and held that position until 1841.
Legal career
After being called to the bar in 1838, Butt quickly established a name for himself as a brilliant barristerBarrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He was known for his opposition to the Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
leader Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
's campaign for the repeal of the Act of Union. He also lectured at Trinity College, Dublin, in political economy. His experiences during the Irish Famine led him to move from being an Irish unionist and an Orangeman
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
to supporting a federal
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
political system for the British Isles that would give Ireland a greater degree of self-rule. This led to his involvement in Irish nationalist politics and the foundation of the Home Rule League. Butt was instrumental in fostering links between Constitutional and Revolutionary nationalism through his representation of members of the Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
s Society in court.
Political career
He began his career as a Tory politician on Dublin CorporationDublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...
. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Youghal
Youghal (UK Parliament constituency)
Youghal was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:...
from 1852 to 1865, and for Limerick
Limerick City (UK Parliament constituency)
Limerick City was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801...
from 1871 to 1879 (at the 1852 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
he had also been elected for the English constituency of Harwich
Harwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Harwich was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until its abolition for the 2010 general election it elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, but chose to sit for Youghal).
The failed Fenian rising in 1867 strengthened Butt's belief that a federal system was the only way to break the dreary cycle of inefficient administration punctuated by incompetent uprisings. In 1870 he founded the Irish Home Government Association
Home Government Association
The Home Government Association was a pressure group founded by Isaac Butt in 1870 in support of home rule for Ireland.Its inaugural public meeting was held on 1 September 1870.It became the Home Rule League in 1873....
. This was in no sense a revolutionary organisation. It was designed to mobilize public opinion behind the demand for an Irish parliament, with, as he put it, "full control over our domestic affairs." He believed that Home Rule would promote friendship between Ireland and her neighbour to the east.
In November 1873 Butt replaced the Association with a new body, the Home Rule League
Home Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
, which he regarded as a pressure-group, rather than a political party. In the general election the following year 59 of its members were elected. However, most of those elected were men of property who were closer to the Liberal cause. In the meantime Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
had joined the League, with more radical ideas than most of the incumbent Home Rulers, and was elected to parliament in a by-election in Meath in 1875.
Butt had failed to win substantial concessions in Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
on the things that mattered to most Irish people: an amnesty for the Fenians of '67, fixity of tenure for tenant-farmers and Home Rule. Although they worked to get Home Rulers elected, many Fenians along with tenant farmers were dissatisfied with Butt's gentlemanly approach to have bills enacted, although they did not openly attack him, as his defence of the Fenian prisoners in '67 still stood in his favour. However, soon a Belfast Home Ruler, Joseph Gillis Biggar (then a senior member of the IRB
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
), began making extensive use of the ungentlemanly tactic of "obstructionism" to prevent bills being passed by the house.
When Parnell entered parliament he took his cue from Joseph Biggar and allied himself with those Irish members who would support him in his obstructionist campaign. MPs at that time could stand up and talk for as long as they wished on any subject. This caused havoc in parliament. In one case they talked for 45 hours non-stop, stopping any important bills from being passed. Butt, ageing, and in failing health, could not keep up with this tactic and considered it counter-productive. In July 1877 Butt threatened to resign from the party if obstruction continued, and a gulf developed between himself and Parnell, who was growing steadily in the estimation of both the Fenians and the Home Rulers.
The climax came in December 1878, when parliament was recalled to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Butt considered this discussion too important to the British Empire to be interrupted by obstructionism and publicly warned the Irish members to refrain from this tactic. He was fiercely denounced by the young Nationalist John Dillon
John Dillon
John Dillon was an Irish land reform agitator from Dublin, an Irish Home Rule activist, a nationalist politician, a Member of Parliament for over 35 years, and the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party....
, who continued his attacks with considerable support from other Home Rulers at a meeting of the Home Rule League in February 1879. Although he defended himself with dignity, Butt, and all and sundry, knew that his role in the party was at an end.
Butt, who had been suffering from bronchitis, had a stroke the following May and died within a week. He was replaced by William Shaw
William Shaw (Irish politician)
William Shaw was an Irish Protestant nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and one of the founders of the Irish home rule movement....
, who in turn was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
in 1880.
Personal life
Butt amassed debts and pursued romances. It was said that at meetings he was occasionally heckled by women with whom he had fathered children. He was also involved in a financial scandal when it was revealed that he had taken money from several Indian princes to represent their interests in parliament.He died on 5 May 1879 in Clonskeagh
Clonskeagh
Clonskeagh or Clonskea , is a southern suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district straddles the River Dodder.-Location and access:Whilst located fully within the traditional County Dublin, Clonskeagh lies partially within the administrative area of Dublin City Council but mostly in that of Dun...
in Dublin. His remains were brought by train to Stranorlar
Stranorlar
Stranorlar is a small town in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey form the Twin Towns.-Transport:...
, Co. Donegal, where he is buried in a corner of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
cemetery beneath a tree by which he used to sit and dream as a boy.
Despite his chaotic lifestyle and political limitations, Butt was capable of inspiring deep personal loyalty.Some of his friends, such as John Butler Yeats (father of the poet WB Yeats) and the future Catholic Bishop of Limerick Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, retained a lasting hostility towards Parnell for his role in Butt's downfall.
In literature
- The novel HOGAN MP by May Laffan Hartley features a hostile portrait of Butt as "Mr. Rebutter".