John Sheehan (1812–1882) was an Irish journalist, writer and barrister.

Early life

Sheehan was the son of an hotel-keeper at

Celbridge Celbridge (; ) is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. Both a local centre and a commuter town within the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, where he was born. He was sent to the Jesuit college at Clongoweswood, where

Francis Sylvester Mahony Francis Sylvester Mahony (31 December 1804 – 18 May 1866), also known by the pen name Father Prout, was an Irish humorist and journalist. Life He was born in Cork (city), Cork, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland, to Martin ...

was his tutor for a time. About 1829 he entered

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, but did not graduate.

The Comet Club

In 1830 Sheehan joined the Comet Club of young Irishmen, with

Samuel Lover Samuel Lover (24 February 1797 – 6 July 1868), also known as "Ben Trovato" ("well invented"), was an Irish songwriter, composer and novelist, and a portrait painter, chiefly in miniatures. He was the grandfather of Victor Herbert. Life L ...

Joseph Stirling Coyne Joseph Stirling Coyne (1803–1868) was a humorist and satirist in the tradition of Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. One of the most prolific British playwrights of the mid-nineteenth century, he wrote more than sixty plays; his twenty-seven far ...

, Robert Knox who became editor of ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...

'', and Maurice O'Connell. The club issued pamphlets attacking the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

system; the first, ''The Parson's Horn Book'', which appeared in two parts with etchings by Lover, was popular. The club then issued ''The Comet'', a satirical weekly paper opposing the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

, with the first number appearing on 1 May 1831. Sheehan was appointed sub-editor. In a few weeks it had reached a circulation of several thousand copies, and until its closure at the end of 1833 was influential. The government in the autumn of 1833 ordered the arrest of Thomas Browne, the editor ''The Comet'', and Sheehan, for libel. They were defended by

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

and Robert Holmes, but were each sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined. The fine was then remitted, and the term of imprisonment was only partly served.

Journalist in London

Sheehan, on his release, studied for the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland () is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Bar of Ireland, commonly c ...

, to which he was called in 1835. He shortly afterwards came to London. In 1836–7 he was in Paris and Madrid as representative of ''The Constitutional'' newspaper. In 1839 Sheehan matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, though he took no degree. He was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1841, and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1846. After a short career as a barrister he concentrated again on journalism. He was parliamentary reporter of the ''

Morning Herald The ''Morning Herald'' was an early daily newspaper in the United Kingdom. History The newspaper was founded in 1780 by the Reverend Sir Henry Bate Dudley, former editor of ''The Morning Post''. It was initially a liberal paper aligned with ...

'', contributing also poems and sketches to ''

Bentley's Miscellany ''Bentley's Miscellany'' was an English literary magazine started by Richard Bentley. It was published between 1836 and 1868. Contributors Already a successful publisher of novels, Bentley began the journal in 1836 and invited Charles Dicken ...

'' and other magazines. In 1852 Sheehan was proprietor and editor of ''The Independent'' of London and Cambridge. Subsequently, in ''Temple Bar'' and elsewhere he often wrote under the signatures of "The Irish Whiskey-Drinker" and "The Knight of Innishowen".

Later life

Shortly after 1868 Sheehan married the widow of Colonel Shubrick, or Shrubrick, a wealthy Anglo-Indian officer, and spent some years in travelling on the continent. He eventually retired to the

London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Clerkenwell, London, dating to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally built (and ...

, where he died on 29 May 1882.

Works

Sheehan's major literary work was included in John Doran's edition of the ''Bentley Ballads'' (1858), and in his own edition of the same work (1869).

In literature

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...

knew Sheehan well, and he is believed to be the original of Captain Shandon in ''

Pendennis ''The History of Pendennis: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, His Friends and His Greatest Enemy'' (1848–50) is a novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray. It is set in 19th-century England, particularly in London. The main ...

''. Two other Irish friends, William John O'Connell and Andrew Archdeckne, suggested Costigan and Foker respectively.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehan, John 1812 births 1882 deaths Irish journalists Irish writers Irish barristers 19th-century journalists Irish male journalists 19th-century Irish male writers