J. F. X. O'Brien
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James Francis Xavier (J. F. X.) O'Brien (13 or 16 October 1828 – 28 May 1905)R. B. O'Brien
"O'Brien, James Francis Xavier (1828–1905)"
rev. R. V. Comerford, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 February 2008. The 1912 version of this entry is available onlin
here
/ref> 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 ...
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: Th ...
Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...
revolutionary in the 1860s. He was later elected to 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. T ...
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 Grea ...
, as 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 o ...
(MP) in 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 ...
.


Life


Early life

O'Brien was born in Dungarvan, County Waterford to the merchant family of Timothy and Catherine O'Brien.R. B. O'Brien
"O'Brien, James Francis Xavier (1828–1905)"
rev. R. V. Comerford, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 February 2008.


Early Fenian activity

O'Brien was studying divinity in St. John's College, Waterford when he became caught up in the
Young Ireland rebellion The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement, part of the wider Revolutions of 1848 that affected most of Europe. It took place on 29 July 1848 at Farranrory, a small settlement about 4 ...
of 1848. During the summer of 1849, he organised a new revolutionary secret society in Dungarvan. In September 1849, he participated an attack, organised by
James Fintan Lalor James Fintan Lalor (in Irish, Séamas Fionntán Ó Leathlobhair) (10 March 1809 – 27 December 1849) was an Irish revolutionary, journalist, and “one of the most powerful writers of his day.” A leading member of the Irish Confederation (You ...
, on
Cappoquin Cappoquin, also spelt Cappaquin or Capaquin (), is a town in west County Waterford, Ireland. It is on the Blackwater river at the junction of the N72 national secondary road and the R669 regional road. It is positioned on a sharp 90-degree b ...
police barracks and evaded arrest, fleeing to Wales on one of his father's merchant ships for a number of months. In 1854 he won a scholarship to study medicine 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 ...
. However, a year later he left for
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, with his friend John O'Leary, where he continued his studies, attending the École de Médecine. Health problems did not allow him to graduate, however. O'Brien was advised by
Dominic Corrigan Sir Dominic John Corrigan, 1st Baronet (2 December 1802 – 1 February 1880), was an Irish physician, known for his original observations in heart disease. The abnormal "collapsing" pulse of aortic valve insufficiency is named Corrigan's pulse ...
to take a holiday to warm climate for the sake of his health. In response, O'Brien elected to travel to
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.


In Louisiana

Upon his arrival to New Orleans, O'Brien was persuaded to participate in William Walker's
Filibuster War The Filibuster War or Walker affair was a military conflict between filibustering multinational troops stationed in Nicaragua and a coalition of Central American armies. An American mercenary William Walker invaded Nicaragua in 1855 with a sma ...
in
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
.Don Gifford, Robert J. Seidman
Ulysses Annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses
University of California, 1988, , p. 80.
The expedition was halted by the US Navy in April 1857 and O'Brien was amongst the crew captured. Together they were imprisoned, and during that time O'Brien feared he would be assassinated. Reluctantly, O'Brien called upon the services of the British consul in New Orleans, who helped secure his release. Next, O'Brien worked as a replacement lecturer for
Richard D'Alton Williams Richard D'Alton Williams (8 October 1822 – 5 July 1862) was an Irish physician and poet, "Shamrock" of the ''Nation''. Life He was born in Dublin, son of James and Mary Williams, who came from Westmeath. He grew up in Grenanstown, a townland ...
at the Jesuit College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While still in Louisiana, in 1858 he met James Stephens, and joined the
Fenian Brotherhood The Fenian Brotherhood () was an Irish republican organisation founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). M ...
. Following the outbreak of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
in April 1861, O'Brien was an assistant surgeon in the Confederate Army in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
However, this army work caused his civilian business to go bankrupt, and by November 1862 O'Brien was convinced that he should return to Ireland.


Return to Ireland

In late 1862, he returned to Ireland, settling in
Cork, where he enrolled in the
Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
. By 1864 he was a contributor to ''the Irish People'', a Fenian newspaper. Using the pen name ''‘De L'Abbaye’'' (The Abbot), O'Brien wrote what were considered to be
anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...
articles, although personally O'Brien was still a devout Catholic. When ''the Irish People'' and the Irish Republican Brotherhood's leadership were suppressed in September of 1865, O'Brien was forced underground for a number of months. During a meeting of Cork IRB in February 1867, O'Brien voted against Thomas J. Kelly's proposal for an uprising, on the basis that the IRB did not have any significant supplies of weapons. O'Brien was voted down, and despite his grievances, he participated in the 1867
Fenian Rising The Fenian Rising of 1867 ( ga, Éirí Amach na bhFíníní, 1867, ) was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). After the suppression of the ''Irish People'' newspaper in September 186 ...
. On 6 March, he took part in an IRB attack on Ballyknockane police barracks, near
Mourneabbey Mourneabbey () is a small civil and Roman Catholic parish in the barony of Barretts (barony), Barretts, northwest County Cork, Ireland. The parish is situated just south of Mallow, County Cork, Mallow, on the main Mallow-Cork (city), Cork Road a ...
, which surrendered. His group was later dispersed by a unit of
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
infantry and he was arrested near
Kilmallock Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are sti ...
. In May 1867, he was tried for high treason, convicted, and sentenced to death, the last man in Ireland to be given such a sentence. His sentence was commuted, and he was placed in solitary confinement for much of his sentence. He was released in 1869 as part of an amnesty for Fenians following a campaign by
Charles Kickham Charles Joseph Kickham (9 May 1828 – 22 August 1882) was an Irish revolutionary, novelist, poet, journalist and one of the most prominent members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Early life Charles Kickham was born at Mullinahone, County ...
. Following his release, O'Brien was made part of the IRB Supreme Council (and possibly its President). It was in this capacity that O'Brien drafted its constitution, which was adopted on 18 August 1869. It was also in this capacity that O'Brien supported a plan to nominate
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa ( ga, Diarmaid Ó Donnabháin Rosa; baptised 4 September 1831, died 29 June 1915)Con O'Callaghan Reenascreena Community Online (dead link archived at archive.org, 29 September 2014) was an Irish Fenian leader and member ...
as a member of parliament. The idea was that if O'Donovan Rossa, who was already known to the public as a Fenian, was elected to as an MP, this would be highly embarrassing for the British state. O'Donovan Rossa was indeed elected on 25 November 1869, although later disqualified on 10 February 1870 due to his previous conviction for treason. By 1873, O'Brien was no longer a member of the IRB Supreme Council and had departed from the IRB.


Electoral politics

Following his departure from the IRB, O'Brien had focused on commercial activity in Cork. However, in November 1885 was approached by none other than
Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1875 to 1891, also acting as Leader of the Home Rule League from 1880 to 1882 and then Leader of the ...
, leader of 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 ...
, with a proposition. Parnell had previously requested that 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 ...
withdraw the nomination of
Pat Nally Patrick William Nally (13 March 1857 – 8 November 1891) was a member of the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and well known Connacht athlete from Balla, County Mayo. A prolific sportsman, Nally organised some of the sports even ...
as their South Mayo candidate in an upcoming election. Nally had been previously arrested and convicted of participating in the "Crossmolina Riot", which had received national press coverage across the United Kingdom. The Mayo branch of the Irish National League wanted to make Nally an MP in protest but Parnell did not like the idea. Instead, Parnell wished to make O'Brien the MP for South MP, trading upon O'Brien's reputation as a Fenian rebel. O'Brien agreed and became the MP to represent South Mayo from 1885 to 1895 and as
Anti-Parnellite The Irish National Federation (INF) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in 1891 by former members of the Irish National League (INL), after a split in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) on the leadership of Charles S ...
for
Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...
from 1895 to 1905. O'Brien was not very active in the Parliament, merely using his position to vote with the Irish Parliamentary Party. However, behind the scenes he held leading positions in the Irish Parliamentary Party as treasurer from 1886. Following the split in the IPP over Parnell's affair with Mrs. O'Shea, O'Brien joined the anti-Parnellites in the
Irish National Federation The Irish National Federation (INF) was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in 1891 by former members of the Irish National League (INL), after a split in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) on the leadership of Charles S ...
, and was later the United Irish League of Great Britain (general secretary, 1900–1905). He died at his London residence (39 Gauden Road,
Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...
) on 28 May 1905, and was buried in
Glasnevin cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...
,
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 ...
.


References


Sources

*''Fenian Memories'', Dr. Mark F. Ryan, M.H. Gill & Son, Ltd, Dublin, 1945 {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, J. F. X. 1828 births 1905 deaths Anti-Parnellite MPs Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Irish Parliamentary Party MPs Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cork City Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Mayo constituencies (1801–1922) Politicians from County Waterford UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Alumni of St John's College, Waterford People from Dungarvan