Stephen O'Mara (26 December 1844 – 26 July 1926)) was 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 ...

politician and businessman from

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

Personal life

O'Mara's father

James O'Mara page=2, alt=British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, British Army intelligence file for James O'Mara, class=notpageimage James O'Mara (6 August 1873 – 21 November 1948) was an Irish businessman and politician who became a nationalist ...

was an early supporter of

Isaac Butt Isaac Butt (6 September 1813 – 5 May 1879) was an Irish barrister, editor, politician, Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, economist and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parti ...

, and owned a bacon factory in Limerick. Stephen entered the family business. His brother

Joseph O'Mara Joseph O'Mara (16 July 1864 – 5 August 1927) was an Irish opera singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. After studying opera in Milan, Italy, he made his London stage debut in 1891 in the tenor title role of the opera '' Ivanhoe'' by A ...

became an opera singer. Stephen married Ellen Pigott in 1867. They had 12 children, of whom the first three died of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

in 1872. Sons

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

and Stephen, Jnr became prominent

Irish republicans Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The developm ...

and radicalised their father's later political views. A daughter

Ellen O'Mara Sullivan Ellen (Nell) O'Mara Sullivan (6 June 1882 – 17 May 1919) was an Irish silent film screenwriter and film company director. The company her family funded and ran was said to be the most prolific Irish silent film company. Life She was born into th ...

, was also a nationalist, and she and her husband started the most prolific Irish Silent film company,

Film Company of Ireland The Film Company of Ireland was the first film production company established in Ireland. It operated from 1916 to 1922. History The Film Company of Ireland (FCOI) was founded in March 1916 by Ellen O'Mara Sullivan, James Mark Sullivan, and Hen ...

Political career

O'Mara joined

Limerick Corporation Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City ...

c.1880, becoming the first Nationalist

Mayor of Limerick The office of Mayor of the City and County of Limerick is currently the title used by the chairperson of Limerick City and County Council. Prior to the establishment of the council, the Mayor of Limerick was the chairperson of Limerick City Counc ...

in 1885. He served again the following year, and headed a campaign to raise funds for an organ for the

Limerick Athenaeum The Limerick Athenaeum was a centre of learning, established in Limerick city, Ireland, in 1852. Background "Athenaeum", also Athenæum or Atheneum, is used in the names of institutions or periodicals for literary, scientific, or artistic stu ...

. In a by-election in February 1886, he was returned unopposed as

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 ...

MP for Queen's County Ossory. He did not stand in the July 1886 general election. He was High Sheriff of Limerick city in 1888, 1913, and 1914. O'Mara took the

Parnellite The Irish National League (INL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded on 17 October 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell as the successor to the Irish National Land League after this was suppressed. Whereas the Land League h ...

side when the

Irish National League The Irish National League (INL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded on 17 October 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell as the successor to the Irish National Land League after this was suppressed. Whereas the Land League h ...

split in the 1890s. In 1908, he resigned as

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of the Party's funds. In the 1918 general election, O'Mara supported

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 ...

as it eclipsed the less radical Irish Parliamentary Party. His sons were active in the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

; in the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, Stephen Snr was 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 ...

, as was his MP son

; Stephen Jnr was anti-Treaty, though relatively conciliatory. In the 1925 election to the

Free State Seanad Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

, O'Mara was elected on the 65th and final count. He died the following year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Omara, Stephen 1844 births 1926 deaths Mayors of Limerick (city) UK MPs 1885–1886 Irish Parliamentary Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Queen's County constituencies (1801–1922) Cumann na nGaedheal senators Members of the 1925 Seanad High Sheriffs of Limerick City Businesspeople from Limerick (city)