Alexander Blane
Encyclopedia
Alexander Blane was an Irish nationalist
politician and Member of Parliament
(MP) for South Armagh
, 1885-92. He was a supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell
during the Split in the Irish Parliamentary Party
, and later a pioneering Socialist. In 1876 he was appointed agent to the Catholic Registration Association, an organization dedicated to maximising the Catholic vote. He was also president of the Prisoners’ Aid Society.
. Blane was educated by the Christian Brothers at Greenpark. He became a master tailor.
at Armagh to stand for parliament for the county if there was an election, without result.
Tim Healy claimed in his 1928 memoirs to have helped nominate Blane as an Irish Parliamentary Party candidate in 1885:
Subsequently, in November 1885 he was returned unopposed as Nationalist MP for South Armagh, and was again unopposed in 1886. He helped organise the Plan of Campaign
, aimed at agricultural rent reductions, in Gweedore
, Co. Donegal
, together with the local priest, Father James McFadden, and the two of them were put on trial at Dunfanaghy
in January 1888 as a result. Blane was sentenced under the Irish Coercion Act
to four months imprisonment, increased on appeal in April 1888 to six months. The Chief Secretary for Ireland, Arthur Balfour
, was challenged in the House of Commons when he said that the sentence had been reduced. He responded ‘The original sentence, I believe, was four months with hard labour, and the new sentence was 6 months, without hard labour, I believe, and I say that is not an increase of the sentence, but it is a matter of taste’. Blane’s health suffered from his imprisonment and he was released three weeks early as a result.
In 1888 the Irish-American Catholic journalist WH Hurlbert investigated the situation in Gweedore in some detail.
split in December 1890 over the Parnell’s leadership, Blane supported Parnell. At the general election of 1892, Blane stood as a Parnellite both in his own seat of South Armagh, and in North Westmeath
. South Armagh was a three-way fight, with Parnellite, Anti-Parnellite and Unionist candidates. Blane received only 59 votes, just over 1 per cent of the votes cast. This electoral performance was not uniquely bad; all four Parnellite candidates in the province of Ulster at this election performed almost equally poorly, the best score being 123 votes at Mid Tyrone
. North Westmeath was a straight fight between Parnellite and Anti-Parnellite, but Blane lost heavily here also, with under 12 per cent of the vote.
Blane was unusual in being a working-class member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and seems to have encountered some prejudice as a result. Parnell is reported to have said, on encountering him for the first time, ‘Who is that convict-looking fellow?’. O'Brien said Blane was ‘reputed to be one of the simpler members of the party’, adding that in the debates in Committee Room 15 of the House of Commons leading to the Split he ‘achieved the tour de force of defending Parnell….from an extremist Catholic and patriotic point of view…..This defence (was) exhilarating in its combination of classicism and audacity….’.
, although he declined to join it himself. The first elections for Dublin Corporation under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
, held on 17 January 1899, involved a huge extension of the municipal franchise, from 7,954 to 38,769 in the constabulary borough, and opened up new possibilities for working class politics. Blane stood as a labour candidate in Trinity ward but although several labour candidates were successful in other wards, he missed election by 55 votes. The 1911 Census, released on the web in December 2007, shows him living, unmarried, as a lodger at 3.2 Burgh Quay in Dublin, and gives his profession as tailor.
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for South Armagh
South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)
South Armagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.-Boundaries and boundary changes:This constituency comprised the southern part of County Armagh....
, 1885-92. He was a supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
during the Split in the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
, and later a pioneering Socialist. In 1876 he was appointed agent to the Catholic Registration Association, an organization dedicated to maximising the Catholic vote. He was also president of the Prisoners’ Aid Society.
Early life
Blane was the son of Alexander Blane of Armagh and Sydney and of Bridget, daughter of a Mr Timon of Armagh. He was born about 1850 and was a native of the city of ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. Blane was educated by the Christian Brothers at Greenpark. He became a master tailor.
Political career
In 1881 Blane was asked by the Land LeagueIrish National Land League
The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farmers to own the land they worked on...
at Armagh to stand for parliament for the county if there was an election, without result.
Tim Healy claimed in his 1928 memoirs to have helped nominate Blane as an Irish Parliamentary Party candidate in 1885:
- "During the General Election, the late Alex Blane, a tailor, was returned for S. Armagh as a member of the Irish Party. At Parnell's urging I went to the Convention there, which was to choose the candidate. He wanted to keep out a man named Dempsey, although Dempsey had been his nominee for Co. Derry in 1882. Meanwhile, he was supposed to have become a Davittite. An anti-Davitt prejudice swayed the minds of James O'Kelly and T. P. O'Connor, who had become the inspirers of Parnell in such affairs. Their nominee was Ivor McGuinness, of Poyntz Pass. Objections were raised against him, and I avoided putting the issue as long as I could as the Armagh priests favoured Dempsey. For this the late Canon Quinn, P.P., described me as the "most tyrannical chairman he ever knew." His attack was just, but he knew nothing of my "sailing orders." Parnell's dislike of Dempsey had been fanned, on anti-Davitt grounds, and I dared not allow him to be accepted as a candidate, if a substitute could be found.
- In my perplexity, after some hours' contention, I turned to Father McElvogue, C.C., and asked, "Have you no local man on whom you could unite?" He replied, "Did you see a chap on a ladder in his shirt-sleeves putting up the decorations as you came in? " "Yes," said I. "Well, that fellow is good at registration and election work. His name is Alex Blane. He is a tailor, and his father was a Protestant."
Subsequently, in November 1885 he was returned unopposed as Nationalist MP for South Armagh, and was again unopposed in 1886. He helped organise the Plan of Campaign
Plan of Campaign
The Plan of Campaign was a stratagem adopted in Ireland between 1886 and 1891, co-ordinated by Irish politicians for the benefit of tenant farmers, against mainly absentee and rack-rent landlords. It was launched to counter agricultural distress caused by the continual depression in prices of dairy...
, aimed at agricultural rent reductions, in Gweedore
Gweedore
Gweedore is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Gweedore stretches some 16 miles from Meenaclady in the north to Crolly in the south and around 9 miles from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher in the west, and...
, Co. Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, together with the local priest, Father James McFadden, and the two of them were put on trial at Dunfanaghy
Dunfanaghy
Dunfanaghy is a small village, formerly a fishing port and commercial centre, in County Donegal, Ireland....
in January 1888 as a result. Blane was sentenced under the Irish Coercion Act
Irish Coercion Act
The Protection of Person and Property Act 1881 was one of more than 100 Coercion Acts passed by the Parliament of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland between 1801 and 1922, in an attempt to establish law and order in Ireland. The 1881 Act was passed by parliament and introduced by...
to four months imprisonment, increased on appeal in April 1888 to six months. The Chief Secretary for Ireland, Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, was challenged in the House of Commons when he said that the sentence had been reduced. He responded ‘The original sentence, I believe, was four months with hard labour, and the new sentence was 6 months, without hard labour, I believe, and I say that is not an increase of the sentence, but it is a matter of taste’. Blane’s health suffered from his imprisonment and he was released three weeks early as a result.
In 1888 the Irish-American Catholic journalist WH Hurlbert investigated the situation in Gweedore in some detail.
IPP split in 1890
When the Irish Parliamentary PartyIrish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
split in December 1890 over the Parnell’s leadership, Blane supported Parnell. At the general election of 1892, Blane stood as a Parnellite both in his own seat of South Armagh, and in North Westmeath
North Westmeath (UK Parliament constituency)
North Westmeath was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1918.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the area was part of the Westmeath constituency....
. South Armagh was a three-way fight, with Parnellite, Anti-Parnellite and Unionist candidates. Blane received only 59 votes, just over 1 per cent of the votes cast. This electoral performance was not uniquely bad; all four Parnellite candidates in the province of Ulster at this election performed almost equally poorly, the best score being 123 votes at Mid Tyrone
Mid Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Tyrone was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons 1885–1918.Before the 1885 general election the area was part of the Tyrone constituency...
. North Westmeath was a straight fight between Parnellite and Anti-Parnellite, but Blane lost heavily here also, with under 12 per cent of the vote.
Blane was unusual in being a working-class member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and seems to have encountered some prejudice as a result. Parnell is reported to have said, on encountering him for the first time, ‘Who is that convict-looking fellow?’. O'Brien said Blane was ‘reputed to be one of the simpler members of the party’, adding that in the debates in Committee Room 15 of the House of Commons leading to the Split he ‘achieved the tour de force of defending Parnell….from an extremist Catholic and patriotic point of view…..This defence (was) exhilarating in its combination of classicism and audacity….’.
Later life
Blane did not stand for Parliament again. However he became active in working class politics. On 7 June 1896 he chaired an open-air meeting on the steps of the Custom House in Dublin which launched the Irish Socialist Republican PartyIrish Socialist Republican Party
The Irish Socialist Republican Party was a pivotal Irish political party founded in 1896 by James Connolly. Its aim was to establish an Irish workers' republic...
, although he declined to join it himself. The first elections for Dublin Corporation under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
The Local Government Act 1898 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, Wales and Scotland by legislation in 1888 and 1889...
, held on 17 January 1899, involved a huge extension of the municipal franchise, from 7,954 to 38,769 in the constabulary borough, and opened up new possibilities for working class politics. Blane stood as a labour candidate in Trinity ward but although several labour candidates were successful in other wards, he missed election by 55 votes. The 1911 Census, released on the web in December 2007, shows him living, unmarried, as a lodger at 3.2 Burgh Quay in Dublin, and gives his profession as tailor.
Sources
- Fintan Lane, The Origins of Modern Irish Socialism, 1881-1896, Cork University Press, 1997
- F. S. L. LyonsF. S. L. LyonsFrancis Stewart Leland Lyons was one of Ireland's premier historians.-Biography:Lyons was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1923, but soon moved to Boyle in County Roscommon where his father was a bank official...
, Charles Stewart Parnell, London, Collins, 1977 - Freeman's JournalFreeman's JournalThe Freeman's Journal was the oldest nationalist newspaper in Ireland. It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified with radical 18th century Protestant patriot politicians Henry Grattan and Henry Flood...
, 18 January 1899 - Conor Cruise O'BrienConor Cruise O'BrienConor Cruise O'Brien often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish politician, writer, historian and academic. Although his opinion on the role of Britain in Northern Ireland changed over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, he always acknowledge values of, as he saw, the two irreconcilable traditions...
, Parnell and His Party 1880-90, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1957 - The Times (London), 18 November 1881; 1 December 1885; 3, 27 & 30 January, 1 February, 20 & 28 April, 15 May, 22 August, 25 September 1888; 5 July 1892; 16 January 1899
- Brian M. Walker (ed.), Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 1978