John Pius Boland
Encyclopedia
John Mary Pius Boland (16 September 1870 – 17 March 1958) was an Irish Nationalist
politician, and Member of Parliament
(MP) in the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
for South Kerry
1900-1918. He was also noteworthy as a gold medal
list tennis player at the first modern Olympics.
, auxiliary bishop of Dublin.
Boland was educated at two private Catholic schools, one Irish, the second English, and both of whose existence and evolution were influenced by John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman - the Catholic University School
, Dublin, and The Oratory School
, Birmingham (since re-located to near Reading) where he became head boy. His secondary education in the two schools either side of the Irish Sea helped give him the foundation and understanding to play an influential role in the politics of Great Britain and Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century, when he was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party which pursued constitutional Home Rule.
In 1892 he graduated with a BA from London University. He had studied for a semester in Bonn
, Germany, where he was a member of Bavaria Bonn, a student fraternity that is member of the Cartellverband
. Boland studied law at Christ Church, Oxford
, graduating with a BA in 1896 and MA in 1901; although called to the Bar
in 1897, he never practiced.
champion in tennis
for Great Britain and Ireland
at the first modern Olympics
, which took place in Athens
in 1896.
Boland visited his friend Thrasyvoulos Manos in Athens during the Olympics, and Manos, a member of the organizing committee, entered Boland in the tennis tournament. Boland promptly won the singles tournament, defeating Friedrich Traun
of Germany in the first round, Evangelos Rallis
of Greece in the second, Konstantinos Paspatis
of Greece in the semifinals, and Dionysios Kasdaglis
of Egypt
in the final.
Boland then entered the doubles event with Traun, the German runner whom he had defeated in the first round of the singles. Together, they won the doubles event. They defeated Aristidis
and Konstantinos Akratopoulos
of Greece in the first round, had a bye in the semifinals, and defeated Demetrios Petrokokkinos
of Greece and Kasdaglis in the final. When the Union Flag and the German flag were run up the flagpole to honour Boland and Traun's victory, Boland pointed out to the man hoisting the flags that he was Irish, adding "It [the Irish flag]'s a gold harp on a green ground, we hope." The officials agreed to have an Irish flag prepared.
Also since his friend had entered Boland in the games, he was not officially part of the British team.
In 1908 Boland was appointed a member of the commission for the foundation of the National University of Ireland
.
He married Eileen Moloney (1876–1937), in 1902, she was the daughter of an Australian Dr Patrick Moloney.
He had one son and five daughters; his daughter Honor Crowley (née Boland) succeeded her husband Fred Crowley
upon his death sitting as Fianna Fáil
TD for South Kerry from 1945 until 1966, when she died. His daughter Bridget Boland was a playwright who wrote the The Prisoner.
He received a papal knighthood, becoming a Knight of St. Gregory in recognition for his work in Education, and in 1950 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws by the NUI.
He died at his home in London on St. Patrick's Day 1958.
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...
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) in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and as member of 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...
for South Kerry
South Kerry (UK Parliament constituency)
South Kerry was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Kerry constituency. Following the Anglo Irish Agreement and the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the area was...
1900-1918. He was also noteworthy as a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list tennis player at the first modern Olympics.
Early life
Boland was born at at 135 Capel Street, Dublin, to Patrick Boland (1840–1877), businessman, and Mary Donnelly; following the death of his mother, he was placed with his six siblings under the guardianship of his uncle Nicholas DonnellyNicholas Donnelly
Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Donnelly, DD, MRIA, was a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of Dublin. He was Dublin, 23 November 1837, and educated at Castleknock College, before going on the Irish College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1860 and held various positions in the Dublin diocese, and in 1883...
, auxiliary bishop of Dublin.
Boland was educated at two private Catholic schools, one Irish, the second English, and both of whose existence and evolution were influenced by John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman - the Catholic University School
Catholic University School
Catholic University School is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys located on the southside of central Dublin, Ireland. It is run by the Marist Fathers.-Origins:...
, Dublin, and The Oratory School
The Oratory School
The Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, independent school for boys in Woodcote, Berkshire. It is the last Catholic all-boys boarding school remaining in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils...
, Birmingham (since re-located to near Reading) where he became head boy. His secondary education in the two schools either side of the Irish Sea helped give him the foundation and understanding to play an influential role in the politics of Great Britain and Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century, when he was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party which pursued constitutional Home Rule.
In 1892 he graduated with a BA from London University. He had studied for a semester in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany, where he was a member of Bavaria Bonn, a student fraternity that is member of the Cartellverband
Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
The Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or Cartellverband is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities .-Foundation:...
. Boland studied law at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, graduating with a BA in 1896 and MA in 1901; although called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
in 1897, he never practiced.
Success at the First Olympics
He was the first OlympicOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
champion in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
for Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
at the first modern Olympics
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era...
, which took place in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in 1896.
Boland visited his friend Thrasyvoulos Manos in Athens during the Olympics, and Manos, a member of the organizing committee, entered Boland in the tennis tournament. Boland promptly won the singles tournament, defeating Friedrich Traun
Friedrich Traun
Friedrich Adolph Traun was a German athlete and tennis player.He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens — the first modern Olympic games...
of Germany in the first round, Evangelos Rallis
Evangelos Rallis
Evangelos Rallis was a Greek tennis player. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Rallis defeated fellow Greek Demetrios Petrokokkinos in the first round of the singles tournament. In the second round, though, he faced John Pius Boland of Great Britain and Ireland. He lost to the...
of Greece in the second, Konstantinos Paspatis
Konstantinos Paspatis
Konstantinos Paspatis was a Greek tennis player. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Born in Liverpool, England 5 June 1878 and died in Athens 14 March 1903....
of Greece in the semifinals, and Dionysios Kasdaglis
Dionysios Kasdaglis
Dionysios Kasdaglis was a Greek-Egyptian tennis player. He competed in the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Career:Kasdaglis, the only competitor from Egypt, made it to the finals in both the singles and doubles events...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in the final.
Boland then entered the doubles event with Traun, the German runner whom he had defeated in the first round of the singles. Together, they won the doubles event. They defeated Aristidis
Aristidis Akratopoulos
Aristidis Akratopoulos was a Greek tennis player. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Career:Akratopoulos won his first-round match in the singles tournament, defeating Edwin Flack of Australia. He met fellow Greek Konstantinos Paspatis in the second round, however, and Paspatis...
and Konstantinos Akratopoulos
Konstantinos Akratopoulos
Konstantinos Akratopoulos Akratopoulos had a bye in the first round of the singles tournament. He met Dionysios Kasdaglis of Egypt in the second round, losing to the eventual silver medallist. Akratopoulos finished in a three-way tie for fifth place....
of Greece in the first round, had a bye in the semifinals, and defeated Demetrios Petrokokkinos
Demetrios Petrokokkinos
Demetrios Petrokokkinos was a Greek tennis player. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Petrokokkinos was defeated in the first round of the singles tournament by fellow Greek Evangelos Rallis. This put him in a six-way tie for eighth place among the thirteen man field.In the...
of Greece and Kasdaglis in the final. When the Union Flag and the German flag were run up the flagpole to honour Boland and Traun's victory, Boland pointed out to the man hoisting the flags that he was Irish, adding "It [the Irish flag]'s a gold harp on a green ground, we hope." The officials agreed to have an Irish flag prepared.
Also since his friend had entered Boland in the games, he was not officially part of the British team.
Career and personal life
Following a visit to Kerry he became concerned about the lack of literacy among the native population, he also had a keen interest in the Irish Language.In 1908 Boland was appointed a member of the commission for the foundation of the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
.
He married Eileen Moloney (1876–1937), in 1902, she was the daughter of an Australian Dr Patrick Moloney.
He had one son and five daughters; his daughter Honor Crowley (née Boland) succeeded her husband Fred Crowley
Frederick Crowley
Frederick Hugh Crowley was an Irish Fianna Fáil party politician and Teachta Dála for Kerry South.Crowley was first elected to the 6th Dáil in the September 1927 general election and was re-elected at the next seven general elections, and died in 1945 while still a TD.After his death, the...
upon his death sitting as Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
TD for South Kerry from 1945 until 1966, when she died. His daughter Bridget Boland was a playwright who wrote the The Prisoner.
He received a papal knighthood, becoming a Knight of St. Gregory in recognition for his work in Education, and in 1950 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws by the NUI.
He died at his home in London on St. Patrick's Day 1958.