Christopher Michael Byrne (1886 – 12 April 1958) was an Irish politician whose career as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

came in two distinct periods, separated by a decade's gap and a change of party. He was also involved in the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

(GAA).

Personal life

He was born in

Blackrock, County Dublin Blackrock () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, northwest of Dún Laoghaire. Location and access Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. ...

, and educated at

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary secondary school, voluntary day school, day and boarding school, boarding Catholicism, Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, Dublin, Bl ...

. He married Lucy Cullen in 1919, they had no children.

Politics

Byrne was first elected to the

Second Dáil The Second Dáil () was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919 to 1922, Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected ...

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

TD for Kildare–Wicklow, at the 1921 general election. He was re-elected the following year as a pro-

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

Sinn Féin candidate, and returned at the 1923 general election as a

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty G ...

TD for the

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

constituency. In 1926 he resigned from

over the results of the

Irish Boundary Commission The Irish Boundary Commission () met in 1924–25 to decide on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended the Irish War of Independence, provided for such a c ...

and later joined Clann Éireann with other politicians who also opposed the results. He stood as an independent candidate at the June 1927 general election, but lost his seat. He was again unsuccessful as an independent at the next election, in September 1927 and at the 1932 general election. He did not stand in 1933, but was a

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

candidate at the 1937 general election. He did not win a seat on that occasion, but in the subsequent elections to the

2nd Seanad This is a list of the members of the 2nd Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in March 1938 and served until the close of poll for the 3rd Seanad in July 1938. ...

in 1938, he was elected on the

Administrative Panel The Administrative Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Administrative Panel elects seven senators. Election ...

and re-elected later that year to the

3rd Seanad This is a list of the members of the 3rd Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. These Senate, Senators were elected or appointed in 1938, after the 1938 Irish general election, 1938 ge ...

. At the 1943 general election, he returned to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

as a Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow. However, he lost his seat at the 1944 general election, to his Fianna Fáil running-mate Thomas Brennan. Byrne stood again in the 1948 general election, but was not re-elected. He then retired from national politics.

Sports

Byrne had membership of the Ashford GAA club. In 1907, he served as Ashford's delegate to the county convention which was held in Aughrim. In 1908, he became the Leinster Provincial Council representative on the GAA's Central Council. He severed as chairman of the Wicklow County Board between 1931 and 1954.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Christopher 1886 births 1958 deaths Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Cumann na nGaedheal TDs Fianna Fáil senators Fianna Fáil TDs Early Sinn Féin TDs Gaelic games administrators Irish farmers Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 3rd Dáil Members of the 4th Dáil Members of the 2nd Seanad Members of the 3rd Seanad Members of the 11th Dáil People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Politicians from County Wicklow Wicklow County Board administrators People educated at Blackrock College