Eamon Donnelly
Eamon Donnelly | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for Belfast Falls | |
| In office April 1942 – December 1944 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office January 1933 – July 1937 | |
| Constituency | Leix–Offaly |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for Armagh (refused to take seat) | |
| In office April 1925 – May 1929 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 July 1877 Middletown, County Armagh, Ireland |
| Died | 29 December 1944 (aged 67) Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | |
| Children | 4 |
Eamon Donnelly (19 July 1877 – 29 December 1944) was an Irish politician.[1]
He was born in Middletown, County Armagh, the son of Francis Donnelly, a mason, and Catherine Donnelly (née Haggin).[2] He was a member of the Irish Volunteers.[1] Donnelly was among the group of Volunteers that assembled for the Easter Rising of 1916 in Coalisland, County Tyrone.[3] In 1921 he joined Éamon de Valera's anti-treaty forces and remained a critic of partition until his death. In February 1923 Donnelly was interned by the Irish Free State military and released in August. Rearrested and again interned he joined the 1923 Irish hunger strikes, undergoing a forty-one day hunger strike.[4] Upon his release Donnelly was appointed Chief Organiser of Sinn Féin.[1] During the 1920s Donnelly worked with the Anti Partitionist Cahir Healy to establish a unified approach against partition.[5]
While living in Newry, Donnelly was elected as an abstentionist Independent Republican member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for the Armagh constituency at the 1925 general election. Shortly after his election, he was served with an order excluding him from Northern Ireland. No official reason was given for the granting of this order.[6]
In 1926, he became a founder member of Fianna Fáil.[1] Donnelly was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Leix–Offaly constituency at the 1933 general election.[7] He did not contest the 1937 general election.[8] He also served as Director of Elections for Fianna Fáil.[6]
In 1938, Donnelly visited his wife's house near Newry, and was imprisoned in Belfast Prison, before being given a choice between paying a fine of £25 or returning to prison. Again, no reason for his imprisonment and exclusion was revealed. Donnelly refused to pay the fine and spent a month and a half in prison.[9] That year, he stood for election to the 2nd Seanad, but was not successful.[6]
In 1942, Donnelly was again elected to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, this time in a by-election for Belfast Falls. Again, he refused to take his seat. He died on 29 December 1944.[2] In 2012 Donnelly's family donated more than 400 documents relating to the life and work of Eamon Donnelly to the Newry and Mourne Museum.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Eamon Donnelly Remembered". Newry Journal. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- ^ a b Dempsey, Pauric J. "Donnelly, Eamon". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Thorne, Kathleen (2019). Echoes of Their Footsteps. Oregon: Generation Organization. p. 537. ISBN 978-0-692-04283-0.
- ^ Thorne, Pg. 538
- ^ Thorne, Pg. 538
- ^ a b c "Arrested for going "home"", Manchester Guardian, 29 July 1938, p.3
- ^ "Eamon Donnelly". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ "Eamon Donnelly". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ Thorne, Pg. 538
- ^ "The Éamon Donnelly Collection". Newry and Mourne Museum. 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- 1877 births
- 1944 deaths
- Fianna Fáil TDs
- Members of the 8th Dáil
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1925–1929
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1938–1945
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Armagh constituencies
- Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for Belfast constituencies
- Politicians from County Armagh
- People from Middletown, County Armagh