Michael Colivet
Encyclopedia
Michael Colivet 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...

 Sinn Féin
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...

 politician and a founding member of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...

. He was Commander of the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...

 in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

 during the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...

, elected MP for Limerick City, and TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 of the First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...

.

Early life

Michael Patrick Colivet was born at 11 Windmill street in Limerick city. His father, John Colivet, was a Sea Capain from Jersey (of French origin), and his mother Anne Kinnerk was from Askeaton, County Limerick. Michael spent most of his formative years in Limerick but he also attended secondary school at St Josephs Patrician College (The Bish
The Bish
St. Joseph's Patrician College often known as 'The Bish' is a secondary school in Galway city, Ireland. It was founded by the Patrician Brothers, a religious order, and has approximately 800 students. on roll...

) in Nuns Island, Galway, where the family lived between 1894 and 1903, before returning to settle in Limerick.

Political career

Colivet was Commandant of the Irish Volunteers for Limerick City and East Clare, and led the 1916 Easter Rising in Limerick. He was later arrested and jailed for his part in the Rising.

In 1918 he was voted on to the Council for Limerick Corporation while he was jailed in Lincoln prison. Mayor O'Mara stated that the action was “a protest against the way Irishmen had been treated by the Government, who were filling the gaols with men who had the courage of their
convictions”. He remained an Alderman on the City Municipal ((Glentworth and Shannon Wards) until 1925.

His cellmate at Lincoln prison was Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...

. De Valera, aided by Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...

 and Harry Boland
Harry Boland
Harry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood...

, famously escaped from Lincoln prison in 1919 with the help of a key made by Peter De Loughry.

Election as an MP and TD of First Dáil

He was elected as a Sinn Féin
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...

 MP
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 the Limerick City
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...

 constituency at the 1918 general election. In January 1919, Sinn Féin MPs refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom
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...

 and instead assembled at the Mansion House
Mansion House, Dublin
The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715.-Features:The Mansion House's most famous features include the "Round Room", where the First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence...

 in Dublin as a revolutionary parliament called Dáil Éireann
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...

. At the official roll call, Colivet was marked "fé ghlas ag Gallaibh" (imprisoned by the foreign enemy). Like many other elected Irish MPs he was interned in a British prison at the time.

On 14 April 1921 his treatment at Rathkeale prison was debated in the House of Commons - MPs questioned his cell conditions and if it was appropriate to carry around an elected MP, who was awaiting trail, as a hostage on British Army trucks. English journalist Wilfrid Ewart gives an interesting account of Ireland at that time, including a visit to Rathkeale prison and a meeting with Colivet, who was interned there in April 1921.

Stance on the Anglo-Irish Treaty

He was re-elected unopposed at the 1921 elections
Irish elections, 1921
Two elections in Ireland took place in 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by Irish Republicans as the basis of membership of the Second Dáil...

 for the Limerick City–Limerick East constituency. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...

 and voted against
Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote
The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in London on 6 December 1921. Dáil Éireann voted on the treaty on 7 January 1922, following a debate through late December 1921 and into January 1922.-Result:Of the 125 Teachtaí Dála , 121 cast their vote in the Dáil...

 it, stating in the Dáil debate:

He was again re-elected unopposed at the 1922 general election
Irish general election, 1922
The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State...

 as an anti-Treaty Sinn Féin Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) but did not take his seat in the Dáil as he did not recognise the legitimacy of the Third Dáil
Third Dáil
The Third Dáil, also known as the Provisional Parliament or the Constituent Assembly, was:*the "provisional parliament" or "constituent assembly" of Southern Ireland from 9 August 1922 until 6 December 1922; and...

. He lost his seat at the 1923 general election
Irish general election, 1923
The Irish general election of 1923 was held on 27 August 1923. The newly elected members of the 4th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 19 September when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed. The election was held just after the end...

.

In the Limerick Municipal elections of 1925, he stood for the Republican party (REP) in the Abbey and Castle Wards and was elected as a Councillor.

In 1926, many Anti-Treaty republicans decided to resume constitutional politics and founded the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 party. In 1927 they took the Oath of Allegiance and entered the Dáil. Colivet did not join Fianna Fáil as he refused to take the Oath of Allegiance, and soon after he retired from political life.

Post-political life

He continued his work in Limerick as manager of the Shannon Foundry. He later moved to Dublin when he was appointed to the Civil Service as General Inspector of Housing in the Department of Local Government. He was Chairman of the National Housing Board and the Dublin Housing Committee of Inquiry (1939-43). The latter produced an influential report recommending the clearing of city slums in Dublin.

In later life he supported Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was an Irish republican and social democratic political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff Seán MacBride in 1946.-Foundation:...

 for a time, as an alternative Republican party to Fianna Fáil. However he was disillusioned when they went into power with Fine Gael and the other opposition parties in the 1948 election.

Remembrance

Michael Patrick Colivet was buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials...

 in 1955. Many TDs were in attendance at his funeral including Éamon de Valera, Donogh O'Malley, Dan Breen
Dan Breen
Daniel "Dan" Breen was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years, he was a Fianna Fáil politician.-Background:...

 and John Joe Sheehy
John Joe Sheehy
John Joe Sheehy was an Irish political/military activist and sportsperson. He participated in the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War in the Irish Republican Army, where he was a senior figure in County Kerry...

. As reported in the Limerick Leader
Limerick Leader
The Limerick Leader is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. The newspaper is headquartered on O'Connell Street....

, a number of his close friends were killed in the struggle for independence, including Seoirse Clancy and Michael O’Callaghan (Mayor and ex-Mayor of Limerick respectively). His first wife died while he was imprisoned on Spike Island; he was denied release to attend the funeral. The paper also reported that Colivet fought on the Republican side during the Civil War, but at no time did he entertain a feeling of bitterness to those who differed from him, and nothing caused him more sadness than the sundering of the grand bond of Irish unity.

Colivet Drive in Limerick city is named in his honour.

In 2009, his son, Brian Colivet, donated Michael Colivet's volunteer uniform, and a number of other artefacts (including de Valera's shaving mug from Lincoln prison) to the Limerick Museum (Jim Kemmy Municipal Museum) in Limerick city.
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