Hugh O'Doherty

Last updated

Hugh O'Doherty (died 10 March 1924) was an Irish nationalist politician.

O'Doherty worked as a solicitor in County Londonderry. A supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell, he was a founder member of the Irish National League. Following Parnell's death, O'Doherty withdrew from politics until 1918, when he was elected to Derry Corporation as a Nationalist Party councillor. Later in 1918, his daughter drowned on the RMS Leinster. [1]

In 1920, a nationalist majority emerged on the Londonderry Corporation, and O'Doherty was elected as the first nationalist and first Roman Catholic Mayor of Derry, a post which carried with it membership of the Senate of Northern Ireland. Although seen as a neutral candidate, acceptable to both the Nationalist Party group and to the Sinn Féin grouping, his inaugural speech did little to allay the fears of the Unionist population of the city: "Ireland's right to determine her own destiny will come about whether the Protestants of Ulster like it or not". [2] He ordered that the Union Jack should not be flown from the Guildhall. [1] He also campaigned for Derry to be included in the Irish Free State. [3] In 1922, O'Doherty called a conference of all nationalists in Northern Ireland, in a first attempt to develop a common platform. [4]

O'Doherty's term as mayor ended in 1923, and he died the following year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry</span> City in Northern Ireland

Derry, officially Londonderry, is the largest city in County Londonderry, the second-largest in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster</span> Traditional province in the north of Ireland

Ulster is one of the four traditional or historic Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland ; the remaining three are in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Parliamentary Party</span> Irish political party at Westminster, 1874–1922

The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the House of Commons at Westminster within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland up until 1918. Its central objectives were legislative independence for Ireland and land reform. Its constitutional movement was instrumental in laying the groundwork for Irish self-government through three Irish Home Rule bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate of Northern Ireland</span> Upper house of the former parliament of Northern Ireland

The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.

The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922. It was also the name of the main Irish nationalist Nationalist Party in Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry City Council</span> Former local government authority in Northern Ireland

Derry City Council was the local government authority for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. It merged with Strabane District Council in April 2015 under local government reorganisation to become Derry and Strabane District Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Derry</span>

The earliest references to the history of Derry date to the 6th century when a monastery was founded there; however, archaeological sites and objects predating this have been found. The name Derry comes from the Old Irish word Daire meaning 'oak grove' or 'oak wood'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry/Londonderry name dispute</span> Political dispute in Northern Ireland

The names of the city and county of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland are the subject of a naming dispute between Irish nationalists and unionists. Generally, although not always, nationalists favour using the name Derry, and unionists Londonderry. Legally, the city and county are called "Londonderry", while the local government district containing the city is called "Derry City and Strabane". The naming debate became particularly politicised at the outset of the Troubles, with the mention of either name acting as a shibboleth used to associate the speaker with one of Northern Ireland's two main communities. The district of Derry and Strabane was created in 2015, subsuming a district created in 1973 with the name "Londonderry", which changed to "Derry" in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Derry</span> 1969–1972 no-go area in Northern Ireland

Free Derry was a self-declared autonomous Irish nationalist area of Derry, Northern Ireland that existed between 1969 and 1972 during the Troubles. It emerged during the Northern Ireland civil rights movement, which sought to end discrimination against the Irish Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government. The civil rights movement highlighted the sectarianism and police brutality of the overwhelmingly Protestant police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

Ivan Averill Cooper was a nationalist politician from Northern Ireland. He was a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). He is best known for leading the civil rights march on 30 January 1972 that developed into the Bloody Sunday massacre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partition of Ireland</span> 1921 division of the island of Ireland into two jurisdictions

The partition of Ireland was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK) divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. It was enacted on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Act intended both territories to remain within the United Kingdom and contained provisions for their eventual reunification. The smaller Northern Ireland was duly created with a devolved government and remained part of the UK. The larger Southern Ireland was not recognised by most of its citizens, who instead recognised the self-declared 32-county Irish Republic. On 6 December 1922 Ireland was partitioned. At that time the territory of Southern Ireland left the UK and became the Irish Free State, now known as the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph O'Doherty</span> Irish politician (1891–1979)

Joseph O'Doherty was an Irish teacher, barrister, revolutionary, politician, county manager, member of the First Dáil and of the Irish Free State Seanad.

Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for British unionism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie McAteer</span> Irish politician

Eddie McAteer was an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.

Claude Wilton was a politician, solicitor and civil rights campaigner from Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Home Rule movement</span> Political campaign for self-government (1870–1918)

The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of World War I.

Hugh Christopher Corvin was an Irish republican leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 Londonderry Borough Council election</span> Local govt election in Northern Ireland

Elections to Londonderry Borough Council were held on 16 October 1946. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) retained their majority with Sir Basil McFarland continuing as Mayor of Londonderry. The elections were postponed from the original February date due to an unusually large number of objections to the list of electors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Londonderry City Council election</span> Local govt election in Northern Ireland

The 1973 Londonderry City Council election took place on 30 May 1973 to elect members of Londonderry City Council in Northern Ireland. This was on the same day as other Northern Irish local elections. The campaign was significant in that, following changes to the election process and districts, Irish nationalist parties were able to take control of the council for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Londonderry Borough Council election</span> Local govt election in Northern Ireland

Elections to Londonderry Borough Council were held on 17 May 1967, amidst the Northern Ireland civil rights movement.

References

  1. 1 2 "Obituary: Mr Hugh C. O'Doherty", Irish Times , 12 March 1924.
  2. Bardon, Jonathon (2001), A History of Ulster, Belfast, The Blackstaff Press, pp. 466-469; ISBN 0-85640-764-X
  3. "Londonderry, Jan. 23", Irish Times , 24 January 1922
  4. "Joint Action by Ulster Catholics", Irish Times , 30 September 1922.
Civic offices
Preceded by Mayor of Londonderry
19201923
Succeeded by