John Muldoon (11 July 1865 – 21 November 1938) 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 ...
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
and
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
politician. He was a
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 ...
(MP) for most of the period between 1905 and 1918, representing three different constituencies in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...
.
Early life
Muldoon was the third son of James Muldoon of
Dromore,
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
, and of Catherine Gahan. He was educated at a local school, at
Queen's College, Galway
The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...
and at the
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...
. He was called to the
Irish Bar
The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
in 1894 and became a
King's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
(KC) in 1913. In 1903 he married Olive, daughter of Charles Whamond of
Westport,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
.
Political career
Muldoon was a treasurer of the
United Irish League
The United Irish League (UIL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland, launched 23 January 1898 with the motto ''"The Land for the People"''. Its objective to be achieved through agrarian agitation and land reform, compelling larger grazi ...
and a Director of the
Freeman's Journal
The ''Freeman's Journal'', which was published continuously in Dublin from 1763 to 1924, was in the nineteenth century Ireland's leading nationalist newspaper.
Patriot journal
It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified with radi ...
. He was returned unopposed as MP for the
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish national ...
in
North Donegal at a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in June 1905 but did not stand again at the
general election of January 1906, being deselected by the local clergy.
[Maume, Patrick: ''The long Gestation, Irish Nationalist Life 1891-1918'', "Who's Who" p.236, Gill & Macmillan (1999) ] In July 1907 he was elected unopposed at a by-election for
East Wicklow, and was re-elected at both general elections of 1910, unopposed in
January 1910 and by almost two to one over a
Unionist in the
December 1910 election. In July 1911 he
resigned
Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
and stood for the
East Cork
East Cork lies in south-west Ireland, in Ireland's largest county, County Cork. The term "East Cork" is used in tourism, sporting and other contexts, and is the name given to one of eight municipal districts of Cork County Council.
East Cork con ...
seat of fellow Nationalist
Captain A. J. C. Donelan, who had been unseated following an election petition, having defeated
William O'Brien
William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of ...
the previous December. Donelan succeeded Muldoon unopposed in East Wicklow, while Muldoon was in the event returned unopposed in East Cork.
Muldoon was politically very active from 1900 to 1914. His particular interests were the
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...
, the
Land Acts
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
and the Labourers (Ireland) Act 1906, on all of which he published a number of works. He was a close political confidant of
John Dillon
John Dillon (4 September 1851 – 4 August 1927) was an Irish politician from Dublin, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 35 years and was the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. By political disposition Dillon was an a ...
,
while said to be close to
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as lead ...
and
Joseph Devlin
Joseph Devlin (13 February 1871 – 18 January 1934) was an Irish people, Irish journalist and influential Irish Nationalism, nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for the Irish Parli ...
.
['']Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'': Obituary John Muldoon K.C., 22 November 1938
Muldoon retired from politics at the general election of 1918. In 1921 he was appointed Registrar in Lunacy and five years later, after the establishment 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 th ...
, as Registrar in the office of the
Chief Justice of Ireland
The Chief Justice of Ireland ( ga, Príomh-Bhreitheamh na hÉireann) is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and most senior judge in Ireland. The role includes constitutional and admini ...
, retiring in 1935.
Notes
Sources
* ''
Dod's Parliamentary Companion
''Dods Parliamentary Companion'' (formerly "Dod's Parliamentary Companion") is an annual politics reference book published in the United Kingdom.
It provides biographies and contact information on members of the Houses of Parliament and the Ci ...
'', 1912
* Ferguson,Kenneth (ed.), King's Inns Barristers, 1868–2004, Dublin, Honorable Society of King's Inns in association with the Irish Legal History Society, 2005
* ''
Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', Obituary of John Muldoon K.C., 22 November 1938
* Maume, Patrick, ''The Long Gestation: Irish Nationalist Life 1891-1918'', Dublin, Gill & MacMillan, 1999
* Walker, Brian M. (ed.), ''Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922'', Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 1978
Publications
* A Guide to Irish Local Government, (with George McSweeny), Dublin, Eason & Son, 1898
* Local Government Rules and Orders, Dublin, Eason & Son, 1899
* A Guide to the Election of County and Rural District Councillors in Ireland, Dublin, Eason & Son, 1902
* Old Age Pensions in Ireland, Dublin, Eason & Co., 1908
* For Ireland's Sake; or, Under the Green Flag, A romantic Irish drama, Dublin, E. Ponsonby, 1910
* The Story of a "Rigged Convention", Dublin, 1915
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muldoon, John
1865 births
1938 deaths
Irish barristers
Male non-fiction writers from Northern Ireland
Irish Parliamentary Party MPs
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Cork constituencies (1801–1922)
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Donegal constituencies (1801–1922)
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Wicklow constituencies (1801–1922)
Politicians from County Tyrone
UK MPs 1900–1906
UK MPs 1906–1910
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918