Stephen O'Mara (senator)
Encyclopedia
Stephen O'Mara was an Irish nationalist
politician and businessman from Limerick
.
in 1872. Sons James
and Stephen, Jnr
became prominent Irish republicans
and radicalised their father's later political views.
, and Stephen joined Limerick corporation c.1880, becoming the first Nationalist mayor of Limerick in 1885. He served again the following year, and headed a campaign to raise funds for an organ for the Limerick Athenaeum
. In a by-election in February 1886, he was returned unopposed as Irish Parliamentary Party
M.P. for Queen's County Ossory
. He did not stand in the July 1886 general election
. He was High Sheriff
of Limerick city in 1888, 1913, and 1914.
O'Mara took the Parnellite side when the Irish National League split in the 1890s. In 1908, he resigned as trustee
of the Party's funds. In the 1918 general election, O'Mara supported Sinn Féin
as it eclipsed the less radical Irish Parliamentary Party. His sons were active in the Irish War of Independence
; in the Irish Civil War
, Stephen Snr was pro-Treaty
, as was son James; Stephen Jnr was anti-Treaty, though relatively conciliatory. In the 1925 election
to the Free State Seanad
, O'Mara was elected on the 65th and final count. He died the following year.
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 businessman from Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
.
Personal life
O'Mara's father James owned a bacon factory in the city, and Stephen entered the family business. His brother Joseph O'Mara became an opera singer. Stephen marred Ellen Pigott in 1867. They had 12 children, of whom the first three died of diphtheriaDiphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
in 1872. Sons James
James O'Mara
James O'Mara was an Irish bacon merchant and politician who became a nationalist leader and key member of the revolutionary First Dáil. As an MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, he introduced the bill which made Saint Patrick's Day a national holiday in Ireland in 1903...
and Stephen, Jnr
Stephen M. O'Mara
Stephen Mary O'Mara was a businessman and Irish republican politician in Limerick....
became prominent Irish republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and radicalised their father's later political views.
Political career
O'Mara's father was an early supporter of Isaac ButtIsaac Butt
Isaac Butt Q.C. M.P. was an Irish barrister, politician, Member of Parliament , and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870 and in 1873 the Home...
, and Stephen joined Limerick corporation c.1880, becoming the first Nationalist mayor of Limerick in 1885. He served again the following year, and headed a campaign to raise funds for an organ for the Limerick Athenaeum
Limerick Athenaeum
Limerick Athenaeum was a centre of learning, established in Limerick City, Ireland in 1852.-Background:Athenaeum, also Athenæum or Atheneum, is used in the names of institutions or periodicals for literary, scientific, or artistic study. It may also be used in the names of educational institutions...
. In a by-election in February 1886, he 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...
M.P. for Queen's County Ossory
Queen's County Ossory (UK Parliament constituency)
Ossory, a division of Queen's County, was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1918.Prior to the 1885 general election and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the area was part of the Queen's County constituency...
. He did not stand in the July 1886 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. He was High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Limerick city in 1888, 1913, and 1914.
O'Mara took the Parnellite side when the Irish National League split in the 1890s. In 1908, he resigned as trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Party's funds. In the 1918 general election, O'Mara supported Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
as it eclipsed the less radical Irish Parliamentary Party. His sons were active in the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
; in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, Stephen Snr was pro-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...
, as was son James; Stephen Jnr was anti-Treaty, though relatively conciliatory. In the 1925 election
Irish Free State Seanad election, 1925
An election was held on 17 September 1925, for 19 of the 60 seats in Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Irish Free State. The election was by single transferable vote, with the entire state forming a single 19-seat electoral district. There were 76 candidates on the ballot paper, whom voters ranked...
to the Free State Seanad
Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State)
Seanad Éireann was the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State from 1922–1936. It has also been known simply as the Senate, or as the First Seanad. The Senate was established under the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State but a number of constitutional amendments were...
, O'Mara was elected on the 65th and final count. He died the following year.