Mark Killilea Snr (15 January 1897 – 29 September 1970) was an Irish

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

politician. He was a

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) for constituencies in

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 ...

for over 30 years, and then a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for 8 years.

Biography

Killilea was born in the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Cloonnabricka, Ballinamore Bridge,

, to Pat Killilea, a labourer, and Anne Giblin. Killilea claimed membership of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

from 1917 and engaged in active service with the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

from April 1918 to September 1923, during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

and

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

, in counties

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, Galway and Mayo. He was wounded in May 1921. Killilea was a founder-member of

and a farmer and shopkeeper before entering politics. He was elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

on his first attempt, at the June 1927 general election in the nine-seat

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 took his seat in the 5th Dáil, along with the 44 other Fianna Fáil TDs who ended the Republican policy of

abstentionism Abstentionism is the political practice of standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abs ...

and took the disputed

oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

, dismissing it as an "empty formula". He was re-elected at the September 1927 general election. However, in the Fianna Fáil victory at the 1932 general election, it won no new seats in Galway. All five sitting Fianna Fáil TDs stood for re-election, but the party ran a total of seven candidates in the constituency and Killilea was one of the two sitting TDs to lose their seats to party colleagues. He was re-elected the following year, displacing

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; ) was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. It was named after the original Cumann na nGaedheal organisation which merged with the Dungannon Clubs and the National Co ...

's Joseph Mongan. Killilea was then re-elected at all the eight general elections in the next 28 years, switching to the new Galway East constituency when the county's parliamentary representation was split at the 1937 election, and choosing Galway North after a further constituency revision for the 1948 general election. At the 1961 general election, he lost his seat again, this time in the restored Galway East constituency. The county's three 3-seat constituencies had been replaced by the 3-seat Galway West and the 5-seat Galway East, where Killilea was one of four sitting Fianna Fáil TDs who stood for re-election. Michael Kitt and

Michael Carty Michael Carty (16 December 1916 – 23 April 1975) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. Born in Loughrea, County Galway to Lawrence and Josephine Carty, he was the eldest of seven children. A schoolteacher by profession, he was elected to Dái ...

had both been returned at the previous general election, and Anthony Millar had won a by-election in 1958. It would have been difficult for Fianna Fáil to win four out of five seats, and with 55% of the first-preference vote the party took three seats: Killilea was the loser. He then stood for election to

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

on the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. Election Article 18 of the Const ...

, and was returned to the

10th Seanad The 10th Seanad was in office from 1961 to 1965. An election to Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1961 general election to the 19th Dáil. The senators served until the close of the poll for the 11t ...

. He was re-elected at the 1965 Seanad election to the

11th Seanad The 11th Seanad was in office from 1965 to 1969. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1965 general election to the 18th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 12th Sea ...

, but stood down in 1969 in favour of his son

Mark Killilea Jnr Mark Killilea Jnr (5 September 1939 – 31 December 2018) was a farmer, auctioneer and agricultural contractor who served as an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. In a 30-year political career, served as a Teachta Dála (TD) and Member of the Europ ...

, who was elected to the

12th Seanad The 12th Seanad was in office from 1969 to 1973. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1969 general election to the 19th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 13th Sea ...

. He married Mary Joan Turner in 1930.

''Untold Secrets'' allegations

In 1958 Killilea and his wife fostered Anne Silke, a former resident of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Before she died Anne Silke gave evidence reported in the 2021 documentary ''Untold Secrets'' produced by Nova Productions and directed by Basque filmmaker Teresa Lavina that she was beaten and abused while in the family's care and used as little more than a slave. Silke alleged she was physically assaulted by the late

. She also alleged she was sexually assaulted by another son in the family.

References

Biography

''Untold Secrets'' allegations

See also

References