Maurice George Moore, (10 August 1854 – 8 September 1939) was an Irish author, soldier and politician.

Early life

Moore was the second of four sons born to George Henry Moore of

Moore Hall, County Mayo Moore Hall, or Moorehall, the house and estate of George Henry Moore and family, is situated to the south of the village Carnacon in the barony of Carra, County Mayo in a karst limestone landscape. Named for the aristocratic Irish family wh ...

, and Mary Blake of Ballinafad, County Galway. His elder brother was the writer,

George A. Moore George Augustus Moore (24 February 1852 – 21 January 1933) was an Ireland, Irish novelist, Short story, short-story writer, poet, Art, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family who lived at Moore Hall, ...

. He was born at Moore Hall, and was educated in Mayo and at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where he trained as an officer.

Military service

Moore joined the British army as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (wh ...

on 13 June 1874. He saw action in the

Xhosa Wars The Xhosa Wars (also known as the Cape Frontier Wars or the Kaffir Wars) were a series of nine wars (from 1779 to 1879) between the Xhosa Kingdom and the British Empire as well as Trekboers in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa. T ...

in the late 1870s and the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

in 1879, was promoted to captain on 1 November 1882, and major 8 February 1893. During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

he was present at the battles of

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

(October 1899), Colenso (December 1899), Spion Kop (January 1900) and Vaal Krantz (February 1900). He was highly regarded and decorated. For his service in the war he was promoted a brevet

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 29 November 1900, and was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the South Africa honours list published on 26 June 1902. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he left

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

on the SS ''Canada'' and returned to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in late July. He was appointed in command of the 1st Battalion of his regiment with the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel on 16 July 1902, and later in 1902 received the rank of brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Nationalist activities

However, his horror at the creation of

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

in South Africa and ill-treatment of Boer civilians by the British military led to him writing anonymous articles which were published in 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 rad ...

'', which brought attention to the matters. He retired from the British Army on 16 July 1906. Moore was a fluent

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

speaker and had spoken it with fellow members of the Connaught Rangers Regiment. He was a supporter of the

Gaelic League (; 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 emer ...

. In 1903 he started evening schools in County Mayo, teaching the language and Irish history, supporting the 1909 introduction of Irish as a compulsory subject for the National University of Ireland. He was heavily involved in rural development and was an early supporter of the Irish co-operative movement. A member of the provisional committee of 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 ...

in 1913, he was made the organisation's Inspector General, spending much of 1914 organising the troops in Ireland.Macardle, Dorothy (1965), ''The Irish Republic.'' New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p.99 He was a very reluctant supporter of

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as leader of the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) from ...

's takeover of the Volunteers and was ultimately the leader of the

National Volunteers The National Volunteers was the name taken by the majority of the Irish Volunteers that sided with Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond after the movement split over the question of the Volunteers' role in World War I. Origins The Nati ...

after the Volunteer split.Andrews, C.S. (2001), ''Dublin Made Me.'' Dublin, The Lilliput Press. p. 85 Moore finally broke with Redmond in 1916 after the Easter Rising. In that year he collected a petition with

Agnes O'Farrelly Agnes O'Farrelly (born Agnes Winifred Farrelly; 24 June 1874 – 5 November 1951) ( ga, Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh; nom-de-plume 'Uan Uladh'), was an academic and Professor of Irish at University College Dublin (UCD).Ríona Nic Congáil, ''Úna N� ...

asking for a reprieve of the death sentence against

Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Worl ...

. From 1917 on, he was a member of

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 ...

, which led to his

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 ...

home being raided a number of times by the authorities during the Irish War of Independence. In 1920 he was appointed as Irish envoy to the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

. His most important role as a diplomat was to persuade the South African Prime Minister

General Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

to support Irish independence, but he also understood that Smuts did not have the power to recognise the

Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( ga, Poblacht na hÉireann or ) was an unrecognised revolutionary state that declared its independence from the United Kingdom in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdiction over the whole island of Ireland, but by ...

. As a result, when Smuts was in London for the 1921 Imperial Conference, he detoured to Dublin, met

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...

, and assisted both sides in brokering the Truce of July 1921 that ended the Irish War of Independence.

Political career

In 1922 he was made a member of the Irish Free State Seanad by

W. T. Cosgrave William Thomas Cosgrave (5 June 1880 – 16 November 1965) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as the president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932, leader of the Opposition in both the Free State and Ir ...

. As a result of the Irish Civil War members of the Anti-Treaty

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

were attacking property belonging to senators. On 1 February 1923 Moore Hall, his ancestral home, and the property of his brother George, was totally destroyed.O'Sullivan, Donal (1940), ''The Irish Free State and Its Senate.'' London, Faber and Faber. p.105 Moore and

Jennie Wyse Power Jane Wyse Power ( ga, Siobhán Bean an Phaoraigh; ; 1 May 1858 – 5 January 1941) was an Irish activist, feminist, politician and businesswoman. She was a founder member of Sinn Féin and also of Inghinidhe na hÉireann. She rose in the ranks t ...

were the only two senators to oppose the election of

Lord Glenavy Baron Glenavy, of Milltown in the County of Dublin, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 26 July 1921 for the noted Irish lawyer and Unionist politician Sir James Campbell, 1st Baronet. He served as Lord Chief Jus ...

Cathaoirleach Cathaoirleach (; Irish for chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach, who has held the o ...

as he had been a former prominent Unionist.O'Neill, Marie. (1991), ''From Parnell To de Valera: A Biography of Jennie Wyse Power 1858–1941.'' Dublin, Blackwater Press. pp. 146–47 He and Wyse Power would both become increasingly vocal in opposition to

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty ...

governmental policies. He was a vocal critic of the Boundary Agreement which was made between Ireland and the United Kingdom in 1925 and this persuaded him to join Clann Éireann which had been founded by Professor

William Magennis William Magennis (18 May 1867 – 30 March 1946) was an Irish politician and university professor. Early and personal life Born in Belfast, he was educated at Belvedere College, Dublin, and University College Dublin (UCD). In 1893 he was called ...

. When the Ultimate Financial Settlement was signed he proposed a motion that it was prejudicial in the interests in the country. He famously said: "We have been burgled and we have bribed the burglar." In 1928 six

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

candidates were elected to the Seanad under the leadership of Joseph Connolly and Moore immediately joined the party (Clann Éireann had already folded and encouraged its members to join Fianna Fáil). He was nominated as a candidate for

Leas-Chathaoirleach Cathaoirleach (; Irish for chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach, who has held the offi ...

(vice-chairman) of the Seanad in 1928 but was defeated by Senator Patrick W. Kenny of

by twenty-seven votes to twenty-one. He was re-elected as a Fianna Fáil Senator at the 1931 Seanad Election for nine years and served until the abolition of the Seanad. He was again nominated for Leas-Chathaoirleach that year but again defeated. Moore would ultimately vote against the bill to which called for the abolition of the Seanad, though remained a member of the party. After the passage of

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the fundamental law of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democracy, is broadly within the traditi ...

in 1937, Moore was nominated by the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

as one of his eleven nominees to the new Seanad. He remained a senator there until his death in Dublin in 1939, aged 85.

Family

He married Evelyn Handcock, daughter of John Stradford Handcock of

Dunmore, County Galway Dunmore () is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 and R360 regional roads. The town belongs to an ancient tuath called Conmhaícne Dúna-Móir and Cenél Dubáin ...

and they had two sons, Maurice and Ulick. His son, Ulick Moore, served with the Sixth Battalion, Connaught Rangers during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and was killed in action at Sainte-Emilie on 22 March 1918. Moore wrote a biography about his father entitled ''An Irish Gentleman, George Henry Moore: His Travel, his Racing, his Politics'' which was published in 1913, with a preface by his writer brother George.Maurice George Moore. ''An Irish Gentleman, George Henry Moore; his travel, his racing, his politics. London:'' T. Werner Laurie Limited, 913

References

Sources

* ''The Moores of Moore Hall'', Joseph Hone, 1939 * ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', pp. 651–52, Cambridge, 2010

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Maurice George 1854 births 1939 deaths 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Connaught Rangers officers Fianna Fáil senators Independent members of Seanad Éireann Irish writers Members of the 1922 Seanad Members of the 1925 Seanad Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 1934 Seanad Members of the 2nd Seanad Members of the 3rd Seanad Moore family of Mayo Military personnel from County Mayo Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from County Mayo