Joseph P. McGuinness (12 April 1875 – 31 May 1922) was an Irish

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 G ...

politician and

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 o ...

(MP) from 1917 until his death in 1922. He is known for winning the South Longford by-election in 1917 while serving a prison sentence for his role in the Easter Rising.

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 ...

worked on his by-election campaign.

Early life

McGuinness was born on 12 April 1875 in Cloonmore townland, Tarmonbarry, County Roscommon, to Martin McGuinness, farmer, and Rose Farrell. After a period in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, he lived in Longford town after his return from the USA in 1902. He became involved in the local

Conradh na Gaeilge (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...

branch. He subsequently moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, where he ran drapery shops. He also joined the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...

, serving as a lieutenant in ‘C’ company, 1st battalion, which was commanded by

Ned Daly Edward Daly (1891–1916; ga, Éamonn Ó Dálaigh) was commandant of Dublin's 1st battalion during the Easter Rising of 1916. He was the youngest man to hold that rank, and the youngest executed in the aftermath. Background Born as John Edwar ...

. His wife, Katherine Farrell, was a member of the central branch of

Cumann na mBan Cumann na mBan (; literally "The Women's Council" but calling themselves The Irishwomen's Council in English), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and d ...

Political career

McGuinness, as a member of the

, took part in fighting in the

Four Courts The Four Courts ( ga, Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circui ...

during the Easter Rising in 1916. According to some reports, he was second-in-command in the Four Courts. After the defeat of the uprising, McGuinness was sentenced to ten years' penal servitude (later reduced to three), and was transferred to

HM Prison Lewes His Majesty's Prison Lewes is a local category B prison located in Lewes in East Sussex, England. The term local means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners. The prison is operated by His Maj ...

with other fighters. While in prison, McGuinness was selected against his will as Sinn Féin candidate for the Longford South by-election in May 1917. The prisoners in Lewes were opposed to standing a candidate when 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 nation ...

looked likely to win, so McGuinness declined to stand. However, Collins had him nominated anyway, and McGuinness went on to win by 37 votes after a recount. His election slogan was ''"Put him in to get him out!"'' He was re-elected as MP for the new Longford constituency at the 1918 general election. In common with the other Sinn Féin MPs, he did not take his seat in the British House of Commons, sitting instead as a TD in the revolutionary

First Dáil The First Dáil ( ga, An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921. It was the first meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic. In the December 1918 election to the Parliament of the United ...

, where he was appointed as substitute Director of Trade and Commerce on 27 October 1919. On 3 May 1922 McGuiness was appointed to the so-called "Committee of Ten" established by the Dáil in an effort to stave off the looming civil war. The committee met eleven times but could only report on failure to the Dáil on 11 May. Firing party at Joseph McGuinness funeral in Glasnevin Cemetery 2 June 1922

Firing party at Joseph McGuinness funeral in Glasnevin Cemetery 2 June 1922

He was re-elected unopposed at the 1921 general election in the new Longford–Westmeath constituency; he died before the 1922 general election. He voted in favour of the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

in January 1922. At a subsequent election, his seat was taken by his brother Francis McGuinness.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinness, Joseph 1875 births 1922 deaths Early Sinn Féin TDs Members of the 1st Dáil Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Longford constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Politicians from County Roscommon Politicians from County Longford Prisoners and detainees of the United Kingdom