John Joseph Esmonde (27 January 1862 – 17 April 1915) was a physician and an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

North Tipperary North Tipperary ( ga, Tiobraid Árann Thuaidh) was a county in Ireland. It was part of the Mid-West Region and was also located in the province of Munster. It was named after the town of Tipperary and consisted of 48% of the land area of the t ...

from 1910 to 1915.

Family

Esmonde was born on 27 January 1862 in Drominagh,

Borrisokane Borrisokane () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated at the junction of the N52 and N65 national secondary roads. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 942. The Ballyfinboy River flows through the town on its way to Lough ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Esmonde's father, James Esmonde, was the younger brother of

Sir John Esmonde, 10th Baronet Sir John Esmonde, 10th Baronet (16 May 1826 – 9 December 1876) was an Irish nationalist politician. He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1852 until his death 25 years later. Early life and family Esmonde was the son o ...

, and his mother was Caroline Sugrue. He was the second child of four. Esmonde had three sons and three daughters from his first marriage to Rose Magennis whilst living in Ingleside,

Pontesbury Pontesbury is a village and civil parish in Shropshire and is approximately eight miles southwest of Shrewsbury. In the 2011 census, the village had a population of 1,873 and the parish had a population of 3,227. The village of Minsterley is ju ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, England, including: * John Lymbrick Esmonde (1893–1958) *Geoffrey Esmonde (1897–1916) was killed in action serving with the 4th

Tyneside Irish Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as published ...

Battalion of the

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution an ...

in the First World War * Anthony Charles Esmonde (1899–1981) Following the death of Rose in 1901, Esmonde married Eily O'Sullivan in 1904 and had seven more children. The family returned to Ireland in 1910. A son from his second marriage,

Eugene Esmonde Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde, (1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942) was a distinguished Irish pilot in the Fleet Air Arm who was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awa ...

, was awarded a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

posthumously in 1942. Esmonde's youngest son, Paddy, was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

whilst serving in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

at the Rhine in 1944.

Death and legacy

On 17 April 1915, while serving as captain in the

, Esmonde died from "pneumonia and heart failure consequent on the strain of overwork". He was buried in his family vault in

Terryglass Terryglass () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The small town is located on the R493 regional road on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg near where the River Shannon enters the Lough. It is a civil parish in the historical barony ...

, County Tipperary. Esmonde is commemorated on Panel 1 of the

Parliamentary War Memorial The Parliamentary War Memorial, also known as the Recording Angel Memorial, is a stone sculpture in Westminster Hall, unveiled in 1922, which commemorates the members of both Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom who died in the First Wor ...

in Westminster Hall, one of 22 MPs that died during the First World War to be named on that memorial. A further act of commemoration came with the unveiling in 1932 of a manuscript-style

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also * Illuminate (disambi ...

book of remembrance for the House of Commons, which includes a short biographical account of the life and death of Esmonde.

References

Kettle, Esmonde, WWI Memorial, House of Commons

External links

*
Esmonde Family Tree
1862 births 1915 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tipperary constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1910–1918 Irish Parliamentary Party MPs British Army personnel of World War I Irish people of World War I Politicians from County Wexford Royal Army Medical Corps officers

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Deaths from pneumonia in the Republic of Ireland Place of death missing Politicians from County Tipperary British military personnel killed in World War I {{Ireland-UK-MP-stub