Born in Mountcharles in County Donegal, Ireland he became a journalist working on various local papers. He joined Sinn Féin on its foundation in 1905.
Opposition to partition
Healy later became a Anti Partisionist and campaigned against the inclusion of County Fermanagh and County Tyrone into Northern Ireland, arguing that they had Irish nationalist majorities (see Partition of Ireland). With the pending partition of Ireland Healy worked with the cabinet of the southern Irish parliament (Second Dáil) and in 1922 was a member of Michael Collin's special Advisory Committee on the North-East.[2] In August 1921 Healy was part of a Fermanagh nationalist delegation that met with President Éamon de Valera where they made clear their feelings on a Northern Irish Parliament: "Fermanagh by a large majority...resolved that it would not submit to the partition parliament in Ulster."[3] In a letter from Lloyd George to de Valera (dated 7 September 1921) regarding the inclusion of Tyrone and Fermanagh into a new northern state, the British Prime Minister stated that his government had a very weak case on the issue of "forcing these two counties against their will" into Northern Ireland.[4]
Following the 22 May 1922 assassination of William J. Twaddell (a Unionist Member of Parliament in Belfast) Healy was interned for eighteen months along with 300 others under brutal conditions on the prison ship HMS Argenta.[5] Healy is quoted on the reasons for his arrest and internment: "All my life, I have been a man of peace. It is not, therefore, because they feared that I would disturb the peace of Northern Ireland that they dragged me away from my wife and family, but for political reasons. I have been engaged in preparing the case for the inclusion of these areas (Fermanagh and Tyrone) in the Free State. To get me out of the way, local politicians urged my arrest."[6]
Parliamentary representative
Healy was elected in the 1922 UK general election to represent Fermanagh and Tyrone as a Nationalist Party MP, with the support of Sinn Féin. Healy was re-elected in 1923, but remained in custody until February 1924 and was prohibited from entering the western part of County Fermanagh (he did not defend his seat).[7] In June 1924 Healy pressed the government to compensate the thousands of Northern Ireland citizens that were forced to flee Belfast during serious sectarian rioting/violence (see The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1920–1922)).[8]
Healy was also elected to the Northern Ireland House of Commons in the 1925 Northern Ireland general election, but did not take his seat until 1927 due to the Nationalist abstentionist policy. In his fight against partition, Healy did not support the use of physical force or abstentionism: "...physical force only consolidates Unionist opinion against us, and result in injury to Catholics as a whole...if abstention is to become a policy...it should be abstention from public boards...as well as refusal to pay rates and taxes. If this policy of civil disobedience is not feasible (and I admit it is not), then abstention from Stormont is just an insincere gesture."[9] In 1928 Healy and the influential nationalist politician Joe Devlin became founder members of the National League of the North which was committed to bringing about Irish reunification through consent and parliamentary means.[10] Whenever Healy or Devlin raised issues relating to Northern Ireland (in both the British and Northern Ireland Parliaments), they were routinely ruled out of order.[11] In 1929, with the break-up of the large Fermanagh and Tyrone constituency, he switched to sit for the new seat of South Fermanagh. In a 1931 by-election he was again elected for Fermanagh and Tyrone to the British Parliament but stood down again in 1935. In a 24 April 1934 speech on the floor of the Northern Ireland Parliament Healy made clear his feelings on the ruling Unionist government and its treatment of Catholics:
"We know there is today no place for a Catholic in any public office. They are banned more effectively by the bigotry, secret and open, of the Northern Ministers, than they were in the days before the passing of the Catholic Emancipation. But for all that, we are not despairing...What Cromwell attempted in vain you will also attempt in vain. God and right are with us and will prevail over all your machinations. This is not the last generation. Neither will your threats cause us to change our ideals, of a united and free Ireland".[12]
World War II and beyond
Healy was interned again by the United Kingdom government for a year during the Second World War, under Defence Regulation 18B and held in Brixton Prison until December 1942.[13] After the war Healy helped launch the broad based Irish Anti-Partition League which worked to foster public and political opinion against partition in Britain and the United States.[14] Healy also worked with the Labour Party in Britain and helped establish the parliamentary pressure group Friends of Ireland (UK). In 1945 Healy wrote the widely read anti partition pamphlet The Mutilation of a Nation which sold over 10.000 copies.[15] In 1950 he was elected to the British House of Commons for a third time, on this occasion representing Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He finally sat in the British Parliament in 1952 and held the seat until he stood down in 1955. He left the Northern Ireland House of Commons in 1965, by which point he was the Father of the House.
Later life
Healy became an insurance official in Enniskillen but continued to write, his output including journalism, poetry and short stories. He was a correspondent for a number of Irish and American papers. Over the years Healy wrote hundreds of historical articles, scripts and plays for the Irish, British and United States media.[16] Possessing a special interest in Irish history and folklore, in the 1960s he was a founder of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.[17] Cahir Healy was a leader of northern nationalists and a self-educated man who made major contributions to Ireland's political, cultural and literary heritage. He died on 8 February 1970.
References
^Cahir Healy Papers (PDF) (Report). Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. November 2007. p. 3. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
cahir, healy, hurler, gaelic, footballer, great, grandson, former, dual, player, december, 1877, february, 1970, irish, politician, contents, background, opposition, partition, parliamentary, representative, world, beyond, later, life, references, external, li. For the hurler and Gaelic footballer who is a great grandson of the former see Cahir Healy dual player Cahir Healy 2 December 1877 8 February 1970 was an Irish politician 1 Contents 1 Background 2 Opposition to partition 3 Parliamentary representative 4 World War II and beyond 5 Later life 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditBorn in Mountcharles in County Donegal Ireland he became a journalist working on various local papers He joined Sinn Fein on its foundation in 1905 Opposition to partition EditHealy later became a Anti Partisionist and campaigned against the inclusion of County Fermanagh and County Tyrone into Northern Ireland arguing that they had Irish nationalist majorities see Partition of Ireland With the pending partition of Ireland Healy worked with the cabinet of the southern Irish parliament Second Dail and in 1922 was a member of Michael Collin s special Advisory Committee on the North East 2 In August 1921 Healy was part of a Fermanagh nationalist delegation that met with President Eamon de Valera where they made clear their feelings on a Northern Irish Parliament Fermanagh by a large majority resolved that it would not submit to the partition parliament in Ulster 3 In a letter from Lloyd George to de Valera dated 7 September 1921 regarding the inclusion of Tyrone and Fermanagh into a new northern state the British Prime Minister stated that his government had a very weak case on the issue of forcing these two counties against their will into Northern Ireland 4 Following the 22 May 1922 assassination of William J Twaddell a Unionist Member of Parliament in Belfast Healy was interned for eighteen months along with 300 others under brutal conditions on the prison ship HMS Argenta 5 Healy is quoted on the reasons for his arrest and internment All my life I have been a man of peace It is not therefore because they feared that I would disturb the peace of Northern Ireland that they dragged me away from my wife and family but for political reasons I have been engaged in preparing the case for the inclusion of these areas Fermanagh and Tyrone in the Free State To get me out of the way local politicians urged my arrest 6 Parliamentary representative EditHealy was elected in the 1922 UK general election to represent Fermanagh and Tyrone as a Nationalist Party MP with the support of Sinn Fein Healy was re elected in 1923 but remained in custody until February 1924 and was prohibited from entering the western part of County Fermanagh he did not defend his seat 7 In June 1924 Healy pressed the government to compensate the thousands of Northern Ireland citizens that were forced to flee Belfast during serious sectarian rioting violence see The Troubles in Northern Ireland 1920 1922 8 Healy was also elected to the Northern Ireland House of Commons in the 1925 Northern Ireland general election but did not take his seat until 1927 due to the Nationalist abstentionist policy In his fight against partition Healy did not support the use of physical force or abstentionism physical force only consolidates Unionist opinion against us and result in injury to Catholics as a whole if abstention is to become a policy it should be abstention from public boards as well as refusal to pay rates and taxes If this policy of civil disobedience is not feasible and I admit it is not then abstention from Stormont is just an insincere gesture 9 In 1928 Healy and the influential nationalist politician Joe Devlin became founder members of the National League of the North which was committed to bringing about Irish reunification through consent and parliamentary means 10 Whenever Healy or Devlin raised issues relating to Northern Ireland in both the British and Northern Ireland Parliaments they were routinely ruled out of order 11 In 1929 with the break up of the large Fermanagh and Tyrone constituency he switched to sit for the new seat of South Fermanagh In a 1931 by election he was again elected for Fermanagh and Tyrone to the British Parliament but stood down again in 1935 In a 24 April 1934 speech on the floor of the Northern Ireland Parliament Healy made clear his feelings on the ruling Unionist government and its treatment of Catholics We know there is today no place for a Catholic in any public office They are banned more effectively by the bigotry secret and open of the Northern Ministers than they were in the days before the passing of the Catholic Emancipation But for all that we are not despairing What Cromwell attempted in vain you will also attempt in vain God and right are with us and will prevail over all your machinations This is not the last generation Neither will your threats cause us to change our ideals of a united and free Ireland 12 World War II and beyond EditHealy was interned again by the United Kingdom government for a year during the Second World War under Defence Regulation 18B and held in Brixton Prison until December 1942 13 After the war Healy helped launch the broad based Irish Anti Partition League which worked to foster public and political opinion against partition in Britain and the United States 14 Healy also worked with the Labour Party in Britain and helped establish the parliamentary pressure group Friends of Ireland UK In 1945 Healy wrote the widely read anti partition pamphlet The Mutilation of a Nation which sold over 10 000 copies 15 In 1950 he was elected to the British House of Commons for a third time on this occasion representing Fermanagh and South Tyrone He finally sat in the British Parliament in 1952 and held the seat until he stood down in 1955 He left the Northern Ireland House of Commons in 1965 by which point he was the Father of the House Later life EditHealy became an insurance official in Enniskillen but continued to write his output including journalism poetry and short stories He was a correspondent for a number of Irish and American papers Over the years Healy wrote hundreds of historical articles scripts and plays for the Irish British and United States media 16 Possessing a special interest in Irish history and folklore in the 1960s he was a founder of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum 17 Cahir Healy was a leader of northern nationalists and a self educated man who made major contributions to Ireland s political cultural and literary heritage He died on 8 February 1970 References Edit Cahir Healy Papers PDF Report Public Records Office of Northern Ireland November 2007 p 3 Retrieved 26 January 2023 Cahir Healy Papers pg 28 Cahir Healy Papers pg 7 Phoenix Eamon 1994 Northern nationalism nationalist politics partition and the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland 1890 1940 Ulster Historical Foundation Belfast Pg 146 ISBN 9780901905550 Phoenix Eamon amp Parkinson Alan 2010 Conflicts in the North of Ireland 1900 2000 Four Courts Press Dublin Pg 140 ISBN 978 1 84682 189 9 Phoenix and Parkinson pgs 140 141 MacEoin Uinseann 1997 The IRA in the Twilight Years 1923 1948 Dublin Argenta p 96 ISBN 9780951117248 Healy Cahir 2 June 1924 Irish Distress Relief Speech Parliamentary debate Commons sitting Hansard Retrieved 25 January 2023 Cahir Healy Papers pg 17 Healy Cahir Dictionary of Irish Biography Royal Irish Academy October 2009 10 3318 dib 003890 v1 Retrieved 25 January 2023 Phoenix amp Parkinson Pg 101 Reid Gerard 1999 Great Irish Voices Irish Academic Press Dublin pp 262 63 ISBN 0 7165 2674 3 Mr Cahir Healy Irish Nationalist M P cited from The Times Obits 10 February 1970 Retrieved 25 January 2023 Cahir Healy Papers pgs 14 15 Phoenix and Parkinson pg 149 Cahir Healy Papers p 3 Phoenix and Parkinson p 151External links EditHansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by Cahir HealyParliament of the United KingdomNew constituency MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone1922 1924 With Thomas Harbison Succeeded byJames Pringle Charles FallsPreceded byThomas Harbison MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone1931 1935 With Joseph Devlin to 1934Joseph Francis Stewart from 1934 Succeeded byPatrick Cunningham Anthony MulveyNew constituency MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone1950 1955 Succeeded byPhilip ClarkeParliament of Northern IrelandPreceded byArthur GriffithEdward ArchdaleWilliam CooteSean MilroyWilliam Thomas MillerJames CooperSean O MahonyThomas Harbison MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone1925 1929 With Edward ArchdaleAlexander DonnellyWilliam Thomas MillerRowley ElliottThomas HarbisonJames CooperJohn McHugh Constituency abolishedNew constituency MP for South Fermanagh1929 1965 Succeeded byJohn CarronPreceded byJ M Andrews Father of the House1929 1953 Succeeded by1st Viscount Brookeborough Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cahir Healy amp oldid 1163241512, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
