John O'Dowd (MP)
Encyclopedia
John O'Dowd was Irish
Nationalist Member of Parliament
for North Sligo
, March-September 1900, and for South Sligo
, 1900-18.
He was born in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo but emigrated to the USA at an early age, returning in the later 1870s to Bunninadden, Sligo, where he was a farmer and lived for the rest of his life. He was connected with Irish political movements from 1880 onwards and in 1881-82 was imprisoned as a ‘suspect’ under the then coercion legislation.
He was a veteran of the Land League
and active in the United Irish League
. He was associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood
after his return from the USA. For many years he was chairman of Sligo County Council and his son later became accountant to the Council.
He was elected unopposed to represent North Sligo on 7 March 1900 following the resignation of Bernard Collery, and transferred unopposed to his native South Sligo constituency at the general election later that year. He held this seat unopposed through successive general elections until December 1918, when he was defeated by the Sinn Fein
candidate Alexander McCabe
by 9,113 votes to 1,988. O’Dowd had made representations on McCabe’s behalf when the latter had been tried, and acquitted, for possession of explosives.
Maume (1999) states that O’Dowd was accused of corruption and of organising violence against Sinn Fein supporters during the North Leitrim by-election of 1908, and that he was himself beaten up and severely injured by Sinn Fein supporters on polling day in 1918.
As a local authority representative, O’Dowd was a member of the Irish Convention
of 1917-18, which unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile North and South Ireland.
He published a volume of poems, Lays of South Sligo, and contributed poems to T. D. Sullivan
’s Weekly News.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Nationalist Member of Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
for North Sligo
North Sligo (UK Parliament constituency)
North Sligo was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1922....
, March-September 1900, and for South Sligo
South Sligo (UK Parliament constituency)
South Sligo was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1922....
, 1900-18.
He was born in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo but emigrated to the USA at an early age, returning in the later 1870s to Bunninadden, Sligo, where he was a farmer and lived for the rest of his life. He was connected with Irish political movements from 1880 onwards and in 1881-82 was imprisoned as a ‘suspect’ under the then coercion legislation.
He was a veteran of the Land League
Irish National Land League
The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farmers to own the land they worked on...
and active in the United Irish League
United Irish League
The United Irish League was a nationalist political party in Ireland, launched 23 January 1898 with the motto "The Land for the People" . Its objective to be achieved through agrarian agitation and land reform, compelling larger grazier farmers to surrender their lands for redistribution amongst...
. He was associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood
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...
after his return from the USA. For many years he was chairman of Sligo County Council and his son later became accountant to the Council.
He was elected unopposed to represent North Sligo on 7 March 1900 following the resignation of Bernard Collery, and transferred unopposed to his native South Sligo constituency at the general election later that year. He held this seat unopposed through successive general elections until December 1918, when he was defeated by the Sinn Fein
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
candidate Alexander McCabe
Alexander McCabe
Alexander McCabe was an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He was born in County Sligo in 1886.He was elected as a Sinn Féin Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sligo South at the 1918 general election...
by 9,113 votes to 1,988. O’Dowd had made representations on McCabe’s behalf when the latter had been tried, and acquitted, for possession of explosives.
Maume (1999) states that O’Dowd was accused of corruption and of organising violence against Sinn Fein supporters during the North Leitrim by-election of 1908, and that he was himself beaten up and severely injured by Sinn Fein supporters on polling day in 1918.
As a local authority representative, O’Dowd was a member of the Irish Convention
Irish Convention
The Irish Convention was an assembly which sat in Dublin, Ireland from July 1917 until March 1918 to address the Irish Question and other constitutional problems relating to an early enactment of self-government for Ireland, to debate its wider future, discuss and come to an understanding on...
of 1917-18, which unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile North and South Ireland.
He published a volume of poems, Lays of South Sligo, and contributed poems to T. D. Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was an Irish nationalist, journalist, politician and poet who wrote the Irish national hymn "God Save Ireland", in 1867...
’s Weekly News.