James Macmahon PC (Ire) (20 April 1865 – 1 May 1954) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

civil servant and businessman.Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 3 May 1954 Macmahon was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and raised as a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. He was educated at

St Patrick's College, Armagh St Patrick's Grammar School ( ga, Scoil Ghramadaí Naomh Pádraig), Armagh, is a Roman Catholic boys' non-selective voluntary grammar school in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland. The present-day school was officially opened on Thursday, 27 O ...

and

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 186 ...

in Dublin. He joined the Irish Post Office, being promoted to Assistant Secretary in 1913 and Secretary in 1916. In 1918, he became

Under-Secretary for Ireland The Under-Secretary for Ireland (Permanent Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland) was the permanent head (or most senior civil servant) of the British administration in Ireland prior to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 ...

. There was a need to decode the coded messages sent to the Dublin Castle administration from London. Macmahon appointed GPO worker Nancy O'Brien due to her dedication and purported lack of interest in politics. However, O'Brien was a second cousin of

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

, and each day, between 2:30 and 3:30, she would pass any salient information she acquired to either Joe McGrath,

Liam Tobin Liam Tobin (born ''William Joseph Tobin''; 15 November 1895 – 30 April 1963) was an officer in the Irish Army and the instigator of an Irish Army Mutiny in March 1924. During the Irish War of Independence, he served as an IRA intelligenc ...

or Desmond FitzGerald. Macmahon was appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland in the 1920 New Year Honours, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable". He remained Under-Secretary until his retirement on the formation of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

in 1922. He went into business in Dublin. In 1928, he was elected president of the Royal Dublin Society. He died on 1 May 1954, aged 89.

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* 1865 births 1954 deaths Catholic Unionists Civil servants from Belfast People educated at St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh People educated at Blackrock College Under-Secretaries for Ireland Civil servants in Ireland (1801–1922) Irish businesspeople Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Place of death missing {{UK-gov-bio-stub