Patrick James Moloney (20 March 1869 – 4 September 1947) was an Irish

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 ...

politician. Prior to entering politics he was a chemist. Remembering the Moloney family - geograph

Moloney was actively involved in the Republican movement in Tipperary. He was arrested and jailed in the mass arrests after the 1916

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 ...

. The meeting to elect brigade officers for the

3rd Tipperary Brigade The 3rd Tipperary Brigade () was one of the most active of approximately 80 such units that constituted the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), IRA during the Irish War of Independence. The brigade was based in southern County Tipperary, Tippe ...

was held in his house in Church street, Tipperary. The house was burnt down during the war by British forces. His three sons were active members of the brigade. One of his sons, Con became Adjutant General of the

anti-Treaty IRA 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 ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

another of his sons, Patrick, was killed during the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. He was elected as a Sinn Féin MP for the Tipperary South constituency at the 1918 general election. In January 1919, Sinn Féin MPs refused to recognise the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

and instead assembled at the Mansion House in

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 ...

as a revolutionary parliament called

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 ...

. 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) for the Tipperary Mid, North and South constituency at the

1921 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1921. * 1921 Belgian general election * 1921 Italian general election * 1921 Northern Ireland general election * 1921 Norwegian parliamentary election Africa * 1921 South African general election Asia ...

. He opposed 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 against it. He was re-elected for the same constituency at the 1922 general election, this time as an anti-Treaty Sinn Féin TD, but he did not take his seat in the Dáil. He did not contest the 1923 general election. A great-grandson is the Irish historian

Eunan O'Halpin Eunan O'Halpin ( ) is Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History at Trinity College Dublin. He was educated at acDara’s Community College, received his BA and MA from University College Dublin and received a PhD from the Universi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moloney, PJ 1869 births 1947 deaths Early Sinn Féin TDs Members of the 1st Dáil Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 3rd Dáil Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tipperary constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1918–1922 Politicians from County Tipperary