Kevin Izod O'Doherty (7 September 1823 – 15 July 1905) was an

Irish Australian Irish Australians () are ‌‍‍‍‍residents of Australia who are either fully or partially of Irish people, Irish descent. Irish immigrants and their descendants have had a prominent presence in Australian society since the First Fle ...

politician who, as a

Young Ireland Young Ireland (, ) was a political movement, political and cultural movement, cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Grouped around the Dublin weekly ''The Nation (Irish news ...

er, had been transported to Tasmania in 1849. He was first elected to the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

in 1867. In 1885 he returned to Europe briefly serving as an Irish

Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

MP at

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

before returning in 1886 as a private citizen to Brisbane.

Biography

O'Doherty was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

on 7 September 1823, although other sources including the

Dictionary of Australasian Biography ''The Dictionary of Australasian Biography'', sub-titled ''"Comprising Notices of Eminent Colonists From the Inauguration of Responsible Government Down to the Present Time."'' published in 1892, is a reference work by Philip Mennell containing i ...

indicate he was born in June 1824.

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation (Irish news ...

, in his ''My Life in Two Hemispheres'', states that O'Doherty was still underage when he was arrested in July 1848; however, Gavan Duffy was writing 50 years later. O'Doherty received a good education and studied medicine, but before he was qualified, joined the

party and in June 1848, together with

Thomas Antisell Thomas Antisell (16 January 1817 – 14 June 1893) was a physician, scientist, professor, and Young Irelander. He fought in the American Civil War, and served as an advisor to the Japanese Meiji government. Early life and education Antisell was ...

and

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, the son of James and Mary Williams, who came from Westmeath. He grew up in Grenanstown, a townla ...

, established ''

The Irish Tribune ''The Irish Tribune'' was a short-lived nationalist newspaper printed weekly in Dublin in 1848. Five issues were published until its suppression by the British Government. History It was founded during the atmosphere of the revolutions of 1848 ...

''. Only five editions were issued, the first being on 10 June 1848. On 10 July 1848, when the fifth edition was issued, O'Doherty was arrested and charged with treason felony. At the first and second trials the juries disagreed, but at the third trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to transportation for 10 years. O'Doherty arrived in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

in November 1849, was at once released on parole to reside at Oatlands, and his professional services were utilised at St. Mary's Hospital, Hobart. The other Irish prisoners nicknamed him 'St Kevin'. (see, Christine Kinealy, 'Repeal and Revolution. 1848 in Ireland', Manchester, 2009). In 1854 received a pardon with the condition that he must not reside in Great Britain or Ireland. He went to Paris and carried on his medical studies, making one secret visit to Ireland to marry

Mary Eva Kelly Mary Eva Kelly (later O'Doherty) (1826–1910) was an Irish-Australian poet and writer who was widely known as "Eva" of "the Nation". Biography Born in Headford, County Galway, Ireland, Kelly was educated privately with other members of her fa ...

, to whom he was affianced before leaving Ireland. He received an unconditional pardon in 1856, and completed his studies in Dublin, graduating

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

in 1857. He practised in Dublin successfully, and in 1862 went to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia and became well known as one of its leading physicians. Kevin Izod ODoherty at older age

O'Doherty was elected a member of the

in 1867, in 1872 was responsible for a health act being passed, and w as also one of the early opponents of the traffic in

kanakas Kanakas were workers (a mix of voluntary and Blackbirding, involuntary) from various Pacific Islands employed in British Empire, British colonies, such as British Columbia (Canada), Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Queen ...

. In 1877 he transferred to the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

, and in 1885 resigned as he intended to settle in Europe. In Ireland O'Doherty was cordially welcomed, and 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 nati ...

MP for North Meath — Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Retrieved 21 February 2015. to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in the November 1885 general election; but finding the climate did not suit him he did not seek re-election in 1886 and returned to Brisbane in that year. He attempted to take up his medical practice again but was not successful, and he died in poor circumstances on 15 July 1905. His wife and a daughter survived him. A fund was raised by public subscription to provide for his widow, Mary Eva (1826–1910), a poet, who in her early days was well known as the author of Irish patriotic verse in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' under the soubriqet "Eva". In Australia, she occasionally contributed to Queensland journals, and one of her poems is included in ''A Book of Queensland Verse''. She died at Brisbane on 21 May 1910.

References

External links

Kevin Izod O'Doherty, convict Queenslander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odoherty, Kevin Izod 1823 births 1905 deaths 19th-century Australian medical doctors Convicts transported to Australia Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Irish Parliamentary Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Meath constituencies (1801–1922) Politicians from Brisbane Politicians from County Dublin UK MPs 1885–1886 Young Irelanders Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Recipients of British royal pardons Burials at Toowong Cemetery

Biography

See also

Further reading

References

External links