- John Daly (Fenian)
John Daly (18 October 1845—30 June 1916), was an Irish revolutionary, and a leading Member of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood . Uncle toKathleen Clarke , wife of Tom Clarke, executed for his part in the 1916 Rising who was a leading member of the IRB, and her brotherNed Daly who was also executed in 1916.Early life
John Daly was born in
Limerick city on 18 October 1845. His father worked in James Harvey & Son’s Timber Yard. At 16 John joined his father working as a lath splitter. At 18 he was sworn in as a member of theIrish Republican Brotherhood , and became fully involved in Republican activities. When he was refused absolution in confession because he admitted to being a Fenian, he decided that from then on his loyalty would no longer be to “faith and Fatherland” but to “God and Fatherland.” [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 2]On the 22 November 1866 Daly and his brother Edward were arrested at their family home having been betrayed by an informer, for running a munitions factory in the Pennywell district close to their home. He was released on bail in February 1867 toughened and more dedicated by the experience. [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 2]
Rising 1867
On the 5 March 1867 the ill prepared Fenian Rising took place. John Daly took charge of the Limerick detachment of the IRB. Limerick was one of the few areas were the Fenians were able to make some show of force, however weak. Through lack of numbers they failed to make a significant impact on the vastly superior forces arrayed against them. Moving out of the city, Daly moved his men into the country and joined up with other Fenians in an attack on the
Irish Constabulary barracks at Kilmallock. The attack was repelled and Daly dispersed his men. [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 3]After this Daly had to flee the country by stowing away first on a boat the "Hollywood", to England, and from London then on board the "Cornelius Grenfel" to the United States of America. [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 3] [D. J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty pg. 104]
America
Life in America for working class immigrants was particularly tough and his first job on leaving the ship was digging a cellar. He then obtained work in a white lead factory and worked for a while as a mason’s help before getting a reasonably good job as a brakeman on a tram system. Daly was to recall these experiences in his “Recollections of Fenians and Fenianism.” [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 3]
Amnesty Association
In 1869 Daly returned to Ireland and took up his old job in the timber yard, and also his Republican activities. He began to help reorganise the IRB and took part in a number of agitations to keep the IRB agenda in the public view. He became a leading voice in the
Amnesty Association to help in the release of those Fenians still in Jail. [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 3-4] [ Owen McGee, pg. 41-42]In November 1869 a major tenant’s right meeting took place in the city. The IRB objected to the meeting because the issue of the prisoners was not on the agenda. In what came to be know as “The Battle of the Markets” the IRB charged the platform and succeeded in dismantling it. Though the organisers of the meeting attempted to hold some form of gathering, Daly and the IRB refused to relent. It was Daly’s opinion that “it was one of the greatest moral victories ever achieved.” The issue of the political prisoners was to keep Daly occupied for much of the 1870s. In 1876 Daly was again arrested for disturbing another home rule gathering, though on being brought before the court he was acquitted. [ Ciarán Ó’Gríofa pg. 4]
During the
Land War Daly was a member of the Supreme Council of the IRB and became organiser for Connacht and Ulster.Arrest
Daly had been asked by the Supreme Council to deliver the graveside oration at the funeral of Charles J. Kickham while in the states.In the summer of 1883, E.G. Jenkinson, head of Special Branch, was informed that John Daly was on his way to Britain from America. When he arrived, a plain-clothes detective was assigned to follow him at all times. As a result of this, Special Branch were alerted to the importance of
John Torley in Glasgow,Robert Johnston [Robert Johnston was the father ofEthna Carbery Irish writer and poet ("cite", M. Ryan, pg.64)] in Belfast and Mark Ryan in London of the IRB. [Owen McGee, pg. 119]While in England, Daly settled in Birmingham, in the home of an old friend from Limerick
James Egan a generally inactive IRB man. Jenkinson was fully committed to using agent provocateurs in his attempts to convict Republicans. One such recruit was a publican and local IRB man named Dan O’Neill. Both Jenkinson and a MajorNicholas Gosselin persuaded O'Neill to betray Daly. O'Neill then ask Daly to deliver sealed cases to some associtas in London, and on the 11 April Daly was arrested as he was about to board the train for London, and explosives were found in the case he was carrying. The police then raided the home of James Eagan where explosives were "allegedly found buried" in Egan's garden in addition to some documents. [Owen McGee, pg. 121]In prison he became friends with Thomas J. Clarke. While in prison he claim that he was being poisoned which caused an investigated by a commission of inquiry, 1886; it was admitted by prison officials as an error by a warder.
The head of the Birmingham police later made a deathbed confession that Daly had been “convicted on perjured evidence.”
Released
John Daly was elected as a Member of Parliament for Limerick in 1895, but was disqualified as a treason-felon. In August 1896, he went on a lecture tour of England with Maud Gonne and in 1897 on a tour of American which was organised by John Devoy. He later founded a prosperous bakery business in Limerick, and went on to become Lord Mayor of his native city.
Lord Mayor
John Daly was elected three times as mayor of Limerick City, from 1899—1901. He jointly financed with Dr Patrick McCartan the IRB newspaper Irish Freedom in 1910.
References
ources
* "A new Dictionary of Irish History from 1800", D. J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, Gill & Macmillian, 2003, ISBN 0 7171 2520 3
* "John Daly, The Fenian Mayor of Limerick" Ciarán Ó’Gríofa.
* "The IRB: The Irish Republican Brotherhood from The Land League to Sinn Féin" Owen McGee, Four Courts Press, 2005, ISBN 1 85182 972 5
*"Fenian Memories", Dr. Mark F. Ryan, M. H. Gill & Son, Ltd, Dublin, 1945External Sources
* [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=3368 Ask About Ireland]
* [http://www.limerick.com/lifestyle/bishop_odwyer.html "Bishop Edward Thomas O Dwyer of Limerick 1842 - 1917"]
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