Matthew Joseph Kenny
Encyclopedia
Matthew Joseph Kenny was an Irish
lawyer and Nationalist
politician from County Clare
. He was elected to the United Kingdom
House of Commons at the age of 21, qualified as a barrister
whilst still a Member of Parliament
(MP), and later became a judge in the Irish Free State
.
in County Clare, to the solicitor Michael Kenny and his wife Bridget, née Frost. The family were major land-owners, holding 1895 over 1000 acres (4 km²) in county Galway in the 1870s as well as over 1400 acres (5.7 km²) in county Clare.
There are conflicting accounts of his educational career. He attended either "Stonyhurst
and Trinity College, Dublin
" and/or "Ennis Coll. and Queen's Univ
." While serving at Westminster
, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
in 1886, at the King's Inns
, Dublin, in 1889. He became a King's Counsel in 1914.
candidate for a by-election for Ennis
in November 1882.
Ennis's Home Rule MP Lysaght Finigan
had resigned
his seat on 15 September 1882, owing to ill-health. According to Kieran Sheedy's The Clare Elections (p. 269),
According to Hugh Weir's Houses of Clare (1999, p. 131), Kenny was the youngest Member of Parliament at the time.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
abolished Ennis's separate parliamentary representation, with effect from the 1885 general election
. The former two-seat Clare county constituency
was divided for parliamentary purposes was split into the new single-member constituencies of East Clare
and West Clare
with one member to be elected in each division. Kenny did contest either of the new Clare seats, standing instead in Mid Tyrone
, where he was elected. However he continued to interest himself in political developments in Clare.
Kenny held the Mid-Tyrone seat from 1885–95. When the Irish Parliamentary Party
split in 1890, he opposed Parnell. Indeed, he suffered a black eye at the hands of a Parnellite member Pierce Mahony.
Kenny retired from political life in 1895 and apart from his activities as a breeder of pedigree horses, cattle and sheep devoted himself to the practice of law.
In 1887, he married Elizabeth Robertson Stewart, daughter of W. R. Stewart, of Lairsill or Lairdshill, Aberdeenshire. They had two sons and two daughters.
He was appointed Senior Crown Prosecutor for County Kerry
in 1916, and was appointed circuit court judge for Cork City and County in 1925, retiring in 1933 .Maurice Healy notes that his term of office had been extended due to the universal
respect in which he was held.
The Irish Times of 6 October 1941 published Matthew Kenny's memories of Charles Stewart Parnell
to mark the 50th anniversary of the latter's death.
Matthew Kenny, initially a Parnellite M.P., was a cousin of William Kenny
, a Liberal Unionist
M.P. The two cousins' tenures on opposite sides in the House of Commons overlapped between 1892 and 1895. Both were descended from Mattias Kenny of Tiermanna and Dysert, Co. Clare.
Maurice Healy in his memoirs describes Kenny with great affection as a judge of exceptional dignity and integrity who was universally liked and respected; his fault , if it was a fault, was the severity of his sentences.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
lawyer and 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 from County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
. He was elected to 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....
House of Commons at the age of 21, qualified as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
whilst still a 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), and later became a judge in the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
.
Early life
Kenny was born at Freaghcastle, near Miltown MalbayMiltown Malbay
Spanish Point Airfield is an privately owned airfield between Milltown Malbay and Spanish Point. The airfield, located on Sandhill Road in the townland Leagard South, was established by three local pilots in 1991, and the original clubhouse was opened by then Irish Minister for Defense Mr...
in County Clare, to the solicitor Michael Kenny and his wife Bridget, née Frost. The family were major land-owners, holding 1895 over 1000 acres (4 km²) in county Galway in the 1870s as well as over 1400 acres (5.7 km²) in county Clare.
There are conflicting accounts of his educational career. He attended either "Stonyhurst
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
" and/or "Ennis Coll. and Queen's Univ
Queen's University of Ireland
The Queen's University of Ireland was established formally by Royal Charter on 3 September 1850, as the degree-awarding university of the Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway that were established in 1845 "to afford a university education to members of all religious denominations" in...
." While serving at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1886, at the King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
, Dublin, in 1889. He became a King's Counsel in 1914.
Political career
Kenny was just 21 years of age when he was selected as the Home Rule LeagueHome Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
candidate for a by-election for Ennis
Ennis (UK Parliament constituency)
Ennis is a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Members of Parliament:Notes:-...
in November 1882.
Ennis's Home Rule MP Lysaght Finigan
James Lysaght Finegan
James Lysaght Finegan or Finigan was an Irish barrister, soldier, merchant and politician.He was educated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and described as an "Anti-clericalist", and with his family engaged in the tea trade, while supporting the Nationalist cause...
had resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
his seat on 15 September 1882, owing to ill-health. According to Kieran Sheedy's The Clare Elections (p. 269),
According to Hugh Weir's Houses of Clare (1999, p. 131), Kenny was the youngest Member of Parliament at the time.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
abolished Ennis's separate parliamentary representation, with effect from the 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:...
. The former two-seat Clare county constituency
Clare (UK Parliament constituency)
Clare was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
was divided for parliamentary purposes was split into the new single-member constituencies of East Clare
East Clare (UK Parliament constituency)
East Clare 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 Clare constituency...
and West Clare
West Clare (UK Parliament constituency)
West Clare 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 Clare constituency. From 1922 it was not represented in the UK Parliament....
with one member to be elected in each division. Kenny did contest either of the new Clare seats, standing instead in 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...
, where he was elected. However he continued to interest himself in political developments in Clare.
Kenny held the Mid-Tyrone seat from 1885–95. When 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...
split in 1890, he opposed Parnell. Indeed, he suffered a black eye at the hands of a Parnellite member Pierce Mahony.
Kenny retired from political life in 1895 and apart from his activities as a breeder of pedigree horses, cattle and sheep devoted himself to the practice of law.
In 1887, he married Elizabeth Robertson Stewart, daughter of W. R. Stewart, of Lairsill or Lairdshill, Aberdeenshire. They had two sons and two daughters.
He was appointed Senior Crown Prosecutor for County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
in 1916, and was appointed circuit court judge for Cork City and County in 1925, retiring in 1933 .Maurice Healy notes that his term of office had been extended due to the universal
respect in which he was held.
The Irish Times of 6 October 1941 published Matthew Kenny's memories 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...
to mark the 50th anniversary of the latter's death.
Matthew Kenny, initially a Parnellite M.P., was a cousin of William Kenny
William Kenny (Irish politician)
William Kenny PC QC , was an Irish judge and Liberal Unionist politician.He was born in Dublin, the only son of Edward Kenny, solicitor, of Kilrush, County Clare, and his wife, Catherine . Before he was called to the bar in 1868, he had graduated with a B.A...
, a Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
M.P. The two cousins' tenures on opposite sides in the House of Commons overlapped between 1892 and 1895. Both were descended from Mattias Kenny of Tiermanna and Dysert, Co. Clare.
Maurice Healy in his memoirs describes Kenny with great affection as a judge of exceptional dignity and integrity who was universally liked and respected; his fault , if it was a fault, was the severity of his sentences.