Maurice George Moore, (10 August 1854 – 8 September 1939) was an Irish author, soldier and politician.

Early life

Moore was the second of four sons born to George Henry Moore of

Moore Hall, County Mayo Moore Hall, the house and estate of George Henry Moore and family, is situated to the south of the village Carnacon in the barony of Carra, County Mayo, Ireland in a karst limestone landscape. Named for the Irish landed gentry family who buil ...

, and Mary Blake of Ballinafad,

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 ...

. His father was an MP for Mayo. His elder brother was the writer, George A. Moore. He was born at Moore Hall, and was educated in Mayo and at

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

where he trained as an officer.

Military service

Moore joined the British army as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Fo ...

on 13 June 1874. He saw action in the

Xhosa Wars The Xhosa Wars (also known as the Cape Frontier Wars or the Kaffir Wars) were a series of nine wars (from 1779 to 1879) between the Xhosa Kingdom and the British Empire as well as Trekboers from the Dutch colonial empire in what is now the ...

in the late 1870s and the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

in 1879, was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 1 November 1882, and

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

8 February 1893. During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

he was present at the battles of Ladysmith (October 1899), Colenso (December 1899), Spion Kop (January 1900) and Vaal Krantz (February 1900). He was highly regarded and decorated. For his service in the war he was promoted a brevet lieutenant colonel on 29 November 1900, and was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in the South Africa honours list published on 26 June 1902. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he left

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

on the SS ''Canada'' and returned to

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in late July. He was appointed in command of the 1st Battalion of his regiment with the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel on 16 July 1902, and later in 1902 received the rank of brevet

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Nationalist activities

However, his horror at the creation of

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

in South Africa and ill-treatment of Boer civilians by the British military led to him writing anonymous articles which were published in the ''

Freeman's Journal The ''Freeman's Journal'', which was published continuously in Dublin from 1763 to 1924, was in the nineteenth century Ireland's leading nationalist newspaper. History Patriot journal It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified ...

'', which brought attention to the matters. He retired from the British Army on 16 July 1906. Moore was a fluent

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

speaker and had spoken it with fellow members of the Connaught Rangers Regiment. He was a supporter of the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...

. In 1903 he started evening schools in County Mayo, teaching the language and Irish history, supporting the 1909 introduction of Irish as a compulsory subject for the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

. He was heavily involved in rural development and was an early supporter of the Irish co-operative movement. A member of the provisional committee 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 ...

in 1913, he was made the organisation's Inspector General, spending much of 1914 organising the troops in Ireland.Macardle, Dorothy (1965), ''The Irish Republic.'' New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p.99 He was a very reluctant supporter of

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as leader ...

's takeover of the Volunteers and was ultimately the leader of the

National Volunteers The National Volunteers were the majority faction of the Irish Volunteers that sided with Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond after the movement split over the question of the Volunteers' Ireland and World War I, role in World War I. O ...

after the Volunteer split.Andrews, C.S. (2001), ''Dublin Made Me.'' Dublin, The Lilliput Press. p. 85 Moore finally broke with Redmond in 1916 after the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

. In that year he collected a petition with

Agnes O'Farrelly Agnes O'Farrelly (born Agnes Winifred Farrelly; 24 June 1874 – 5 November 1951) (; nom-de-plume 'Uan Uladh'), was an academic and Professor of Irish at University College Dublin (UCD).Ríona Nic Congáil, ''Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh agus an Fhí ...

asking for a reprieve of the death sentence against

Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...

. From 1917 on, he was a member of

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 ...

, which led to his

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

home being raided a number of times by the authorities 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 ...

. In 1920 he was appointed as Irish envoy to the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

. His most important role as a diplomat was to persuade the South African Prime Minister

General Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...

to support Irish independence, but he also understood that Smuts did not have the power to recognise the

Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( or ) was a Revolutionary republic, revolutionary state that Irish Declaration of Independence, declared its independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdict ...

. As a result, when Smuts was in London for the

1921 Imperial Conference The 1921 Imperial Conference met in London from 20 June to 5 August 1921. It was chaired by British prime minister David Lloyd George. The Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions met at the 1921 Imperial Conference to determine a ...

, he detoured to Dublin, met

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

, and assisted both sides in brokering the Truce of July 1921 that ended the

Political career

In 1922 he was made a member of the Irish Free State Seanad by

W. T. Cosgrave William Thomas Cosgrave (5 June 1880 – 16 November 1965) was an Irish politician who served as the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932, Leader of the Opposition from 1932 to 1944, Leader of Fine Gael ...

. As a result of the

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 ...

members of the Anti-Treaty IRA were attacking property belonging to senators. On 1 February 1923 Moore Hall, his ancestral home, and the property of his brother George, was totally destroyed.O'Sullivan, Donal (1940), ''The Irish Free State and Its Senate.'' London, Faber and Faber. p.105 Moore and

Jennie Wyse Power Jane Wyse Power (; ; 1 May 1858 – 5 January 1941) was an Irish activist, feminist, politician and businesswoman. She was a founder member of Sinn Féin and also of Inghinidhe na hÉireann. She rose in the ranks to become one of the most impor ...

were the only two senators to oppose the election of

Lord Glenavy Baron Glenavy, of Milltown, Dublin , Milltown in the County of Dublin, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 26 July 1921 for the noted Irish lawyer and Unionist politician James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy , Sir Ja ...

Cathaoirleach Cathaoirleach (; Irish language, Irish for Chair (officer), chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or speaker (politics), presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Repub ...

as he had been a former prominent Unionist.O'Neill, Marie. (1991), ''From Parnell To de Valera: A Biography of Jennie Wyse Power 1858–1941.'' Dublin, Blackwater Press. pp. 146–47 He and Wyse Power would both become increasingly vocal in opposition to

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 ...

governmental policies. He was a vocal critic of the Boundary Agreement which was made between Ireland and the United Kingdom in 1925 and this persuaded him to join

Clann Éireann Clann Éireann (; ), also known as the People's Party, was a minor republican political party in the Irish Free State. The party was founded on 25 January 1926 as a result of a split from the ruling Cumann na nGaedheal party, to protest again ...

which had been founded by Professor

William Magennis William Magennis (18 May 1867 – 30 March 1946) was an Irish politician and university professor. Early and personal life Born in Belfast, he was educated at Belvedere College, Dublin, and University College Dublin (UCD). In 1893 he was called ...

. When the Ultimate Financial Settlement was signed he proposed a motion that it was prejudicial in the interests in the country. He famously said: "We have been burgled and we have bribed the burglar." In 1928 six

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 ...

candidates were elected to the Seanad under the leadership of Joseph Connolly and Moore immediately joined the party (Clann Éireann had already folded and encouraged its members to join Fianna Fáil). He was nominated as a candidate for

Leas-Chathaoirleach Cathaoirleach (; Irish for chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach is Fianna Fáil Senat ...

(vice-chairman) of the Seanad in 1928 but was defeated by Senator Patrick W. Kenny of

by twenty-seven votes to twenty-one. He was re-elected as a Fianna Fáil Senator at the 1931 Seanad Election for nine years and served until the abolition of the Seanad. He was again nominated for Leas-Chathaoirleach that year but again defeated. Moore would ultimately vote against the bill to which called for the abolition of the Seanad, though remained a member of the party. After the passage of

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executi ...

in 1937, Moore was nominated by the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

as one of his eleven nominees to the new Seanad. He remained a senator there until his death in Dublin in 1939, aged 85.

Family

He married Evelyn Handcock, daughter of John Stradford Handcock of

Dunmore, County Galway Dunmore () is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 road (Ireland), N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 road (Ireland), R328 and R360 road (Ireland), R360 Regional road (Ireland), regional roads. The tow ...

in 1889, and they had two sons, Maurice and Ulick. His son, Ulick Moore, served with the Sixth Battalion, Connaught Rangers during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was killed in action at Sainte-Emilie on 22 March 1918. Moore wrote a biography about his father entitled ''An Irish Gentleman, George Henry Moore: His Travel, his Racing, his Politics'' which was published in 1913, with a preface by his writer brother George.Maurice George Moore. ''An Irish Gentleman, George Henry Moore; his travel, his racing, his politics. London:'' T. Werner Laurie Limited,

913 __NOTOC__ Year 913 ( CMXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * June 6 – Emperor Alexander III dies of exhaustion while playing the game '' tzykanion'' (Byzantine n ...

References

Sources

Joseph Hone Joseph Marlow Hone (25 February 1937 – 15 August 2016) was a British writer of the spy novel. His most famous novels featured a British spy called Peter Marlow. The first of the series was ''The Private Sector'' (1971), set in the Six-Day War. ...

, ''The Moores of Moore Hall'', Jonathan Cape, 1939 * ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', pp. 651–52, Cambridge, 2010

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Maurice George 1854 births 1939 deaths British Army colonels 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Connaught Rangers officers Fianna Fáil senators Independent members of Seanad Éireann Writers from County Mayo Members of the 1922 Seanad Members of the 1925 Seanad Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 1934 Seanad Members of the 2nd Seanad Members of the 3rd Seanad Moore family (Mayo) Military personnel from County Mayo Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from County Mayo People from Carnacon Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst