Joseph Nolan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Nolan was an Irish
nationalist
politician and Member of Parliament
(MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party
, he represented North Louth
from 1885–92, and South Louth
from 1900-18. The Irish Times (15 September 1928) said he was "One of the Fenians whom Parnellism conquered."
Nolan was born at Castleblayney
, County Monaghan. He married Mary Flinn, who had been born in County Down
, in 1884. She was 12–14 years his junior. Together they had nine children, of whom two died young, leaving by 1911 three sons and four daughters. Nolan was originally a schoolteacher, in Ireland and then at a reformatory school in Liverpool. He later became manager of the Aquarium and Casino in New Brighton
on the Wirral Peninsula
near Liverpool, and this was his job at the time of his first election to Parliament for the new seat of North Louth in the Nationalist landslide of 1885. In this election, as the official Irish National League candidate supported by Charles Stewart Parnell
, he defeated Philip Callan
, who had previously sat for Co. Louth as a Home Ruler but had fallen out with Parnell and now stood as an Independent Nationalist. Nolan was then returned unopposed in 1886.
When the Irish Parliamentary Party split over the leadership of Charles Stewart Parnell
in 1890, Nolan supported Parnell. At the following election in 1892 he stood in South Louth but was defeated by an Anti-Parnellite by more than 2 to 1. At the general election of July 1895
he stood in the North Louth seat again, challenging the prominent Anti-Parnellite
incumbent Timothy Michael Healy
, but was again defeated, this time by 3 to 2. In a by-election the following September, he came within 88 votes of winning Limerick City
as a Parnellite.
At the general election of October 1900
, following the reunification of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he stood in the South Louth seat as an Independent Nationalist
against the official Nationalist candidate, and won with 57% of the vote. He was subsequently reconciled to the official Party and returned unopposed at South Louth until 1918, when he retired.
In a characteristically colourful obituary in the Daily Telegraph, T. P. O'Connor
said, like the Irish Times, that 'Nolan was one of the Fenians whom Parnellism conquered'. He went on to write: '....and when Parnell was on the look-out for candidates to join his new and soon-to-be-powerful party his mind was directed to Nolan, who had a record of obscure but violent acts behind him....He was a very fine-looking fellow, 6ft 2in or 3in high, very well proportioned, with a handsome and refined face....He could speak, but with such slowness as to make a speech from him almost an infliction....he was always in or about the House of Commons....Forced to make a living - for there was no salary for Members of Parliament in those days, and a very small allowance from the party funds - Nolan was always engaged in some enterprise which he was trying to push....At one time it was to purchase rum of Jamaica; at another he had some scheme for exploring and exploiting a large piece of land in Labrador. Like all his colleagues, I heard Labrador described with his maddening slowness of speech, until in the end I had to protect myself by rarely seeing him.' O'Connor added that at the end of his life Nolan 'got into a state of almost complete destitution'.
In 1901 he was working as a 'dealer's agent, own account' and in 1911 as a wine shipper. It can be inferred from the Census records that he never lived in Ireland after about 1884.
His last recorded public appearance seems to have been at a service of thanksgiving for the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
held in Westminster Cathedral
, London, on 8 December 1921, which was also attended by his former Irish Parliamentary Party colleagues T. P. O'Connor and Thomas Scanlan
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
nationalist
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) in the House of Commons 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....
. As a 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...
, he represented North Louth
North Louth (UK Parliament constituency)
North Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
from 1885–92, and South Louth
South Louth (UK Parliament constituency)
South Louth was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1918...
from 1900-18. The Irish Times (15 September 1928) said he was "One of the Fenians whom Parnellism conquered."
Nolan was born at Castleblayney
Castleblayney
Castleblayney or Castleblaney is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town has a population of about 3,000.Castleblayney lies near the border with County Armagh and is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry...
, County Monaghan. He married Mary Flinn, who had been born in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, in 1884. She was 12–14 years his junior. Together they had nine children, of whom two died young, leaving by 1911 three sons and four daughters. Nolan was originally a schoolteacher, in Ireland and then at a reformatory school in Liverpool. He later became manager of the Aquarium and Casino in New Brighton
New Brighton, Merseyside
New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...
on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
near Liverpool, and this was his job at the time of his first election to Parliament for the new seat of North Louth in the Nationalist landslide of 1885. In this election, as the official Irish National League candidate supported by 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...
, he defeated Philip Callan
Philip Callan
Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP Philip Callan MP (born 1837, was the son of Owen Callan MP, of Cookstown House Ardee (where Philip Callan was born). Philip Callan studied Law at Trinity College, Dublin, and also at Kings Inns as can be seen in his papers for Kings Inns Admittance...
, who had previously sat for Co. Louth as a Home Ruler but had fallen out with Parnell and now stood as an Independent Nationalist. Nolan was then returned unopposed in 1886.
When the Irish Parliamentary Party split over the leadership 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...
in 1890, Nolan supported Parnell. At the following election in 1892 he stood in South Louth but was defeated by an Anti-Parnellite by more than 2 to 1. At the general election of July 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
he stood in the North Louth seat again, challenging the prominent Anti-Parnellite
Irish National Federation
The Irish National Federation was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in March 1891 by former members of the Irish National League who had left the Irish Parliamentary Party in protest when Charles Stewart Parnell refused to resign the party leadership as a result of his...
incumbent Timothy Michael Healy
Timothy Michael Healy
Timothy Michael Healy, KC , also known as Tim Healy, was an Irish nationalist politician, journalist, author, barrister and one of the most controversial Irish Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, but was again defeated, this time by 3 to 2. In a by-election the following September, he came within 88 votes of winning Limerick City
Limerick City (UK Parliament constituency)
Limerick City was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801...
as a Parnellite.
At the general election of October 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, following the reunification of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he stood in the South Louth seat as an Independent Nationalist
Independent Nationalist
Independent Nationalist was a political title frequently used by Irish nationalists when contesting elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland not as members of the Irish Parliamentary Party, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.In the...
against the official Nationalist candidate, and won with 57% of the vote. He was subsequently reconciled to the official Party and returned unopposed at South Louth until 1918, when he retired.
In a characteristically colourful obituary in the Daily Telegraph, T. P. O'Connor
T. P. O'Connor
Thomas Power O'Connor , known as T. P. O'Connor and occasionally as Tay Pay, was a journalist, an Irish nationalist political figure, and a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for nearly fifty years.-Biography:O'Connor was born in...
said, like the Irish Times, that 'Nolan was one of the Fenians whom Parnellism conquered'. He went on to write: '....and when Parnell was on the look-out for candidates to join his new and soon-to-be-powerful party his mind was directed to Nolan, who had a record of obscure but violent acts behind him....He was a very fine-looking fellow, 6ft 2in or 3in high, very well proportioned, with a handsome and refined face....He could speak, but with such slowness as to make a speech from him almost an infliction....he was always in or about the House of Commons....Forced to make a living - for there was no salary for Members of Parliament in those days, and a very small allowance from the party funds - Nolan was always engaged in some enterprise which he was trying to push....At one time it was to purchase rum of Jamaica; at another he had some scheme for exploring and exploiting a large piece of land in Labrador. Like all his colleagues, I heard Labrador described with his maddening slowness of speech, until in the end I had to protect myself by rarely seeing him.' O'Connor added that at the end of his life Nolan 'got into a state of almost complete destitution'.
In 1901 he was working as a 'dealer's agent, own account' and in 1911 as a wine shipper. It can be inferred from the Census records that he never lived in Ireland after about 1884.
His last recorded public appearance seems to have been at a service of thanksgiving for the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
held in Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, London, on 8 December 1921, which was also attended by his former Irish Parliamentary Party colleagues T. P. O'Connor and Thomas Scanlan
Thomas Scanlan
Thomas Scanlan was an Irish barrister and nationalist politician. He was Member of Parliament for North Sligo from 1909 to 1918, as a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
.
Sources
- Census of England and Wales, 1901 and 1911
- Irish Times, 15 September 1928
- Rt Hon. T. P. O'Connor M.P., Obituary, Mr Joseph Nolan, Daily Telegraph, 15 September 1928
- Michael Stenton & Stephen Lees, Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Vol.2 1886-1918, Sussex, Harvester Press, 1978
- The Times (London), 4 December 1885, 5 July 1892, 9 December 1921
- Brian M. Walker (ed.), Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, 1978