Joseph B. Whelehan (19 May 1882 – 29 October 1968) was an Irish politician, scout leader and teacher. He was born in Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, the son of grocery shopkeeper Michael Whelehan and Jane Gavin. He was married in Tuam in April 1918 to Mary Philomena Waldron. He was organiser of the

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

Club in

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

. He was elected unopposed as a Sinn Féin

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) to the 2nd Dáil at the 1921 elections for the

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

constituency. He supported the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...

and voted in favour of it. He was elected as a pro-Treaty Sinn Féin TD at the 1922 general election. He did not contest the 1923 general election. He served as Chair of the Prices Commission during his service in the 2nd Dáil. Whelehan was a secondary school teacher at St Jarlath's College in Tuam,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

.7th Kildare Troop Pilgrimage to Lourdes April 1958
by Joe Connolly. He served as Chief Scout of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland from 1930 until 1962, and was instrumental in the purchase of Larch Hill as the National Campsite.

References

1968 deaths Early Sinn Féin TDs Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 3rd Dáil People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) Politicians from County Galway 1882 births {{SinnFéin-politician-stub