Kevin Izod O'Doherty
Encyclopedia
Kevin Izod O'Doherty was an Irish Australian
politician
.
, in his My Life in Two Hemispheres, states that O'Doherty was still under age when he was arrested in July 1848. Gavan Duffy, however, was writing 50 years later. O'Doherty received a good education and studied medicine, but before he was qualified, joined the Young Ireland
party and in June 1848, together with Richard D'Alton Williams
, established the Irish Tribune. Only five editions were issued, and on 10 July 1848, 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.
He arrived in Tasmania
in November 1849, was at once released on parole to reside at Oatlands
, and 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
, to whom he was affianced before leaving Ireland. He received an unconditional pardon in 1856, and completed his studies in Dublin, graduating FRCS in 1857. He practised in Dublin successfully, and in 1862 went to Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
and became well-known as one of its leading physicians.
He was elected a member of the legislative assembly in 1867, in 1872 was responsible for a health act being passed, and was also one of the early opponents of the traffic in kanakas
. In 1877 he transferred to the legislative council, and in 1885 resigned as he intended to settle in Europe.
In Ireland he was cordially welcomed, and was returned unopposed as Irish Parliamentary Party
MP
for North Meath
to the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom
in the November 1885 general election
; but finding the climate did not suit him he did not seek reelection 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 Anne (1826 - 1910), a poet, who in her early days was well known as the author of Irish patriotic verse in The Nation
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.
Irish Australian
Irish Australians have played a long and enduring part in Australia's history. Many came to Australia in the eighteenth century as settlers or as convicts, and contributed to Australia's development in many different areas....
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Biography
O'Doherty was born in Dublin on 7 September 1823, although other sources indicate that he may have been born in June 1824 and Charles Gavan DuffyCharles Gavan Duffy
Additional Reading*, Allen & Unwin, 1973.*John Mitchel, A Cause Too Many, Aidan Hegarty, Camlane Press.*Thomas Davis, The Thinker and Teacher, Arthur Griffith, M.H. Gill & Son 1922....
, in his My Life in Two Hemispheres, states that O'Doherty was still under age when he was arrested in July 1848. Gavan Duffy, however, was writing 50 years later. O'Doherty received a good education and studied medicine, but before he was qualified, joined the Young Ireland
Young Ireland
Young Ireland was a political, cultural and social movement of the mid-19th century. It led changes in Irish nationalism, including an abortive rebellion known as the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848. Many of the latter's leaders were tried for sedition and sentenced to penal transportation to...
party and in June 1848, together with Richard D'Alton Williams
Richard D'Alton Williams
Richard D'Alton Williams was an Irish physician and poet, "Shamrock" of the Nation.-Life:He was born in Dublin, son of Count D'Alton and Mary Williams. He was educated at Tullabeg Jesuit College and St. Patrick's College, Carlow.He came to Dublin in 1843 to study medicine. He started contributing...
, established the Irish Tribune. Only five editions were issued, and on 10 July 1848, 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.
He arrived in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in November 1849, was at once released on parole to reside at Oatlands
Oatlands, Tasmania
Oatlands is an important historical village built on the shores of Lake Dulverton in the centre of Tasmania, Australia. Oatlands is located 84 km north of Hobart and 115 km south of Launceston on the Midland Highway...
, and in 1854 received a pardon with the condition that he must not reside in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
or Ireland
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...
. He went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and carried on his medical studies, making one secret visit to Ireland to marry Mary Eva Kelly
Mary Eva Kelly
Mary Eva Kelly, Irish poet and writer, 1826-1910.Born in Headford, Kelly was educated privately with other members of her family. Her first poems were translations, including one of Alphonse de Lamartine's Dying Christian. She became famous for her contributions to The Nation, the first being The...
, to whom he was affianced before leaving Ireland. He received an unconditional pardon in 1856, and completed his studies in Dublin, graduating FRCS in 1857. He practised in Dublin successfully, and in 1862 went to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and became well-known as one of its leading physicians.
He was elected a member of the legislative assembly in 1867, in 1872 was responsible for a health act being passed, and was also one of the early opponents of the traffic in kanakas
Kanakas
Kanaka was the term for a worker from various Pacific Islands employed in British colonies, such as British Columbia , Fiji and Queensland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
. In 1877 he transferred to the legislative council, and in 1885 resigned as he intended to settle in Europe.
In Ireland he was cordially welcomed, and was returned unopposed as 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...
MP
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,...
for North Meath
North Meath (UK Parliament constituency)
North Meath 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 Meath constituency. From 1922 it was not represented in the UK Parliament....
to 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
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....
in the November 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
; but finding the climate did not suit him he did not seek reelection 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 Anne (1826 - 1910), a poet, who in her early days was well known as the author of Irish patriotic verse in The Nation
The Nation (Irish newspaper)
The Nation was an Irish nationalist weekly newspaper, published in the 19th century. The Nation was printed first at 12 Trinity Street, Dublin, on 15 October 1842, until 6 January 1844...
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.
Additional reading
- The Politics of Irish Literature: from Thomas Davis to W. B. Yeats, Malcolm Brown, Allen & Unwin, 1973
- John Mitchel, A Cause Too Many, Aidan Hegarty, Camlane Press.
- Thomas Davis, The Thinker and Teacher, Arthur Griffith, M. H. Gill & Sons Ltd., 1922.
- Brigadier-General Thomas Francis Meagher: His Political and Military Career, W. F. Lyons, Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1869
- Young Ireland and 1848, Denis GwynnDenis Rolleston GwynnDenis Roleston Gwynn was an Irish journalist, writer and professor of modern Irish history. He served in World War I.He was the second son of Stephen Gwynn, writer and scholar. He was educated at St. Enda's School Rathfarnham, Clongowes Wood College and at University College Dublin where he...
, Cork University Press, 1949 - Daniel O'Connell - The Irish Liberator, Denis Gwynn, Hutchinson & Co, Ltd.
- O'Connell, Davis and the Collages Bill, Denis Gwynn, Cork University Press, 1948
- Smith O’Brien And The “Secession”, Denis Gwynn, Cork University Press
- Meagher of The Sword, Edited By Arthur Griffith, M. H. Gill & Sons, Ltd., 1916
- Young Irelander Abroad - The Diary of Charles Hart, Edited by Brendan O'Cathaoir, University Press.
- John Mitchel - First Felon for Ireland, Edited By Brian O'Higgins, 1947
- Rossa's Recollections - 1838 to 1898 (intro by Sean O'Luing), The Lyons Press, 2004
- Labour in Ireland, James Connolly, Fleet Street, 1910
- The Re-Conquest of Ireland, James Connolly, Fleet Street, 1915
- John Mitchel - Noted Irish Lives, Louis J. Walsh, The Talbot Press Ltd., 1934
- Thomas Davis: Essays and Poems, Centenary Memoir, M. H. Gill & Sons, Ltd., 1945
- Life of John Martin, P. A. Sillard, James Duffy & Co., Ltd., 1901
- Life of John Mitchel, P. A. Sillard, James Duffy and Co., Ltd., 1908
- John Mitchel, P. S. O'Hegarty, Maunsel & Company, Ltd., 1917.
- The Fenians in Context: Irish Politics & Society 1848-82, R. V. Comerford, Wolfhound Press, 1998
- William Smith O'Brien and the Young Ireland Rebellion of 1848, Robert Sloan, Four Courts Press, 2000
- Irish Mitchel, Seamus MacCall, Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd., 1938.
- Ireland Her Own, T. A. Jackson, Lawrence & Wishart, Ltd., 1976.
- Life and Times of Daniel O'Connell, T. C. Luby, Cameron & Ferguson Publ.
- Young Ireland, T. F. O'Sullivan, The Kerryman, Ltd., 1945.
- Irish Rebel: John Devoy and America's Fight for Irish Freedom, Terry Golway, St. Martin's Griffin, 1998
- Paddy's Lament - Ireland 1846-1847, Prelude to Hatred, Thomas Gallagher, Poolbeg, 1994
- The Great Shame, Thomas Keneally, Anchor Books, 1999
- James Fintan Lalor, Thomas P. O'Neill, Golden Publications, 2003
- Charles Gavan Duffy: Conversations With Carlyle (1892), with Introduction (Stray Thoughts On Young Ireland) by Brendan Clifford, Athol Books, Belfast, ISBN 0 85034 1140 (p. 32 titled Foster’s account Of Young Ireland)
- Envoi, Taking Leave Of Roy Foster, by Brendan Clifford and Julianne Herlihy, Aubane Historical Society, Cork.
- The Falcon Family, or, Young Ireland, by M. W. Savage, London, 1845