Conor O'Kelly
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Conor O'Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for North Mayo | |
| In office 1900 – January 1910 | |
| Preceded by | William Martin Murphy |
| Succeeded by | John O'Donnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1873 Claremorris, County Mayo, Ireland |
| Died | 13 October 1915 (aged 41–42) |
| Party | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| Occupation | Politician |
Conor O'Kelly (1873 – 13 October 1915) was an Irish Parliamentary Party Member of Parliament.
Born in Claremorris, County Mayo, he became a leading member of the United Irish League and was elected the first chairman of Mayo County Council in 1899.[1][2] He was dismissed as a Justice of the Peace in 1899 for expressing support for the Boers in the South African War.[3]
In 1900, he was elected Member of Parliament for North Mayo as candidate for the United Irish League, receiving more than twice as many votes as his opponent, industrialist William Martin Murphy, a supporter of the Healyite party.[4]
In December 1905, O'Kelly was accused with two others of pressurising a tenant farmer to give up a farm which he had taken over from another who had been evicted. The defendants were released when the jury could not agree on a verdict.[5] Having held his seat unopposed in 1906, he was re-elected in the local government elections in 1908 despite attacks on him by supporters of the clerical faction.[6]
In the January 1910 general election, he ran in South Mayo against the sitting MP, John O'Donnell, of the All-for-Ireland League, and lost by 441 votes.[7] In the December election that year, O'Kelly was reported to have been considered again as a candidate but rejected because of his differences with the local clergy.[8]