This article is from page 10 of the 2011-10-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE exploits of an Ennis man who was considered to be one of the most flamboyant figures of 19th century politics are set to be exposed to the present and future generations thanks to the University of Chicago.
In what is considered to be boon to historians of 19th century Ireland, the library at the university is now giving free on-line access to thousands of documents relating to Charles James Patrick Mahon – better known as The O’Gorman Mahon, who hailed from Newpark House in Roslevan.
The O’Gorman Mahon, who lived from 1800 to 1891 was a key figure in Ireland and internationally, first coming to prominence when, along with Tom Steele, nominating Daniel O’Connell to stand for parliament in Ennis in 1828 – an election that paved the way for Catholic Emancipation the following year.
Some of Mahon’s numerous correspondents include: Ellen Courtenay, Daniel O’Connell, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Lord Palmerston, Ann Choquet, John Adams-Acton, Henry Cardinal Manning, Captain William O’Shea, Lord Francis Conyngham, Charles Stewart Parnell, William Gladstone, John Redmond, James O’Kelly, T.P. O’Connor, and G.O. Trevelyan.
“Perhaps the most noteworthy segment of the correspondence is the group of nine letters from Charles Stewart Parnell, dated from 1880 to 1888, including three written from Kilmainham Prison,” a spokesperson for Chicago University has revealed.
“In addition, there are three drafts of letters from Mahon to Parnell, including one of a reply to a telegram sent by Parnell. It was written after the O’Shea divorce proceedings had been completed and Parnell was attempting to reassert his authority in the party,” the spokesperson added.
Mahon was elected M.P. for Clare in 1830, while 49 years later he was also returned as an M.P. and again in 1885 as the parliamentary career in the county spanned nearly 60 years.
However, he earned a worldwide reputation as a career solider. The Czar of Russia appointed him lieutenant in his international bodyguard, a position above many of his generals. He held the rank of captain or general under most of the flags of Europe and colonel in the French army under Napoleon III. In the 1860s, he was a general on the side of the Uruguayan government in their civil war and fought in the American civil war on the side of the North.