Patrick McCartan (13 May 1878 – 28 March 1963) was an Irish republican and politician. He served the

First Dáil First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

(1919–1921) on diplomatic missions to the

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and

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. He returned to public life in 1948, serving in

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 ...

for

Clann na Poblachta Clann na Poblachta (; "Family/Children of the Republic") was an Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed var ...

. McCartan was also a doctor.

Early life and 1916

He was born in Eskerbuoy, near

Carrickmore Carrickmore () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Omagh East, the civil parish of Termonmaguirk and the Roman Catholic Parish of Termonmaguirc between Cookstown, Dungannon and O ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

, one of five children, to Bernard McCartan, a farmer, and Bridget Rafferty (died 1918). He emigrated to the

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as a young man and became a member of

Clan na Gael Clan na Gael (CnG) (, ; "family of the Gaels") is an Irish republican organization, founded in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Bro ...

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and edited the journal ''Irish Freedom''. He returned to Ireland some years later and qualified as a doctor. He also continued working with nationalist politics and worked closely with

Bulmer Hobson John Bulmer Hobson (14 January 1883 – 8 August 1969) was an Irish republican. He was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) before the Easter Rising in 1916.D.J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, ''A New D ...

and

Denis McCullough Denis McCullough (24 January 1883 – 11 September 1968) was a prominent Irish nationalist political activist in the early 20th century, who served as President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) from 1915 to 1916. Early career – IRB ...

with the

Dungannon Clubs The Dungannon Clubs were founded in Belfast, Ireland, in 1905, by Bulmer Hobson and Dennis McCullough, whose goal was the eventual creation of an Irish Republic. They were named after the Dungannon Convention of 1782.Morgan (1989), p. 140 Se ...

and the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

. McCartan was to take part in 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 ...

with the Tyrone volunteers but did not, owing to

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill (; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist, and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ceann Comhairle of D ...

's countermanding order. He was arrested after the Rising and interned in an open prison in England. Upon release from British prisons on 18 June 1917, the Commandants of the Irish Republican forces wrote an "Address of Irish Commandants to the President and Congress of the United States". The document explained the motivations for the rising and asked for immediate assistance in their cause. Dr. McCartan delivered the document to the Secretary to the President

Joseph Patrick Tumulty Joseph Patrick Tumulty ( ; May 5, 1879 – April 9, 1954) was an American attorney and politician from New Jersey, a leader of the Irish Catholic political community, and the private secretary of Woodrow Wilson from 1911 until 1921, during Wilso ...

in Washington.

Elections

In 1917 he took "

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" to return to Ireland and assist

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 ...

in the

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s being held throughout Ireland that year. McCartan contested the by-election in South Armagh for Sinn Féin but lost out to the

Irish Parliamentary Party The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nati ...

candidate. He was later elected in a by-election in

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midlands Reg ...

in 1918. He was re-elected in the 1918 general election. He was re-elected for Leix–Offaly at the

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. He gave 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 ...

his support, albeit reluctantly, in the Dáil debates, saying he would not "vote for chaos." He blamed the whole cabinet for the situation and said that "The Republic of which Mr. de Valera was President is dead." Disillusioned, he quit politics for the next twenty years.

Diplomatic missions (1919–1921)

At the meeting of the

in January 1919 McCartan was appointed Sinn Féin's envoy in the USA where he would remain until 1921. In late 1920 McCartan outlined (in a formal protest sent to the US State Department) some of the atrocities being committed by British troops in Ireland. As envoy, one of his tasks was to secure American recognition before the

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, but this proved impossible. While in the USA he renewed his acquaintance with his fellow Carrickmore native

Joseph McGarrity Joseph McGarrity (28 March 1874 – 4 September 1940) was an Irish-American political activist best known for his leadership in Clan na Gael in America and his support of Irish Republicanism back in Ireland. Early years McGarrity was born in ...

. They persuaded

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 ...

to support the Philadelphia branch of Clan na Gael against the New York branch led by

John Devoy John Devoy (, ; 3 September 1842 – 29 September 1928) was an Irish republican Rebellion, rebel and journalist who owned and edited ''The Gaelic American'', a New York weekly newspaper, from 1903 to 1928. Devoy dedicated over 60 year ...

and Judge Daniel Cohalan in their struggle to focus the resources of the Friends of Irish Freedom on Irish independence rather than domestic American politics. In 1920 McCartan helped organize the American Commission on Ireland (composed of 150 eminent Americans) which held public hearings in Washington on the causes and facts associated with the ongoing violence in Ireland. McCartan also assisted with the development of the "American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic". McCartan then negotiated with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1920–1921 in an attempt to have it 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 ...

, at a time when both were

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s. Although Soviet Russia was

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, he hoped that Ireland could act as "''accredited representative of the Republic of Ireland in Russia the interests of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

within the territory of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. However such efforts failed and diplomatic relations were not established until decades later.''"

Later political career

McCartan ran in a March 1925 by-election to the

1922 Seanad The 1922 Seanad was the part of the Seanad of the Irish Free State (1922–1936) in office from the establishment of the Seanad in 1922 to the 1925 Seanad election. Elections to the Seanad, the Senate of the Oireachtas (parliament of the Irish ...

caused by the death of

George Sigerson George Sigerson (11 January 1836 – 17 February 1925) was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland. Doctor and scientist Sigerson was ...

. He finished second of five candidates, losing to John O'Neill in the final ballot of senators by 30 votes to 29. He stood again in the September 1925 Seanad election, in which 19 seats were contested, finishing 74th of the 78 candidates in the nationwide poll. He contested the 1945 presidential election as an

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candidate and secured 20% of the vote. He became a founder member of

and contested the 1948 general election without success. As the Minister of External Affairs in the new coalition government, his party leader

Seán MacBride Seán MacBride (26 January 1904 – 15 January 1988) was an Irish Republican activist, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister for External Affairs from 1948 to 1951, Leader of Clann na Poblachta from 1946 to 1965 and Chief of Staff o ...

put his name forward, with fellow Ulsterman

Denis Ireland Denis Liddell Ireland (29 July 1894 – 23 September 1974) was an Irish essayist and political activist. A northern Protestant, after service in World War I he embraced the cause of Irish independence. He also advanced the social credit ideas o ...

, to be 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 ...

John A. Costello John Aloysius Costello (20 June 1891 – 5 January 1976) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957. He was leader of the opposition from 1951 to 1954 and from 1957 to 1959 and attorney gene ...

. He served as a Senator until 1951. In 1932 he published a book, ''With De Valera in America''. McCartan's daughter, Deirdre, was married to Irish folk musician

Ronnie Drew Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who had a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He sang lead vocals on the singles "Seven Drunken Nights" and " The Irish Rover", ...

. McCartan was an admirer of National Socialist ideals and an active supporter of the pro-

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in front organisations such as Irish Friends of Germany.Ailtiri na hAiseirghe and the Fascist 'new order' in Ireland (page 253)

References

Sources

*Cronin, Sean, ''McGarrity Papers'' (Dublin 1971) *Gaughan, J.A., ''Memoirs of Senator Joseph Connolly: A Founder of Modern Ireland'' (1996) *The O'Brien Press, ''Kathleen Clarke: Revolutionary Woman'' (Cork 1991)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCartan, Patrick 1878 births 1963 deaths Early Sinn Féin TDs Independent politicians in Ireland Clann na Poblachta senators Members of the 1st Dáil Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 3rd Dáil Members of the 6th Seanad Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for King's County constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Activists from County Tyrone Candidates for President of Ireland Nominated members of Seanad Éireann People from Carrickmore Politicians from County Tyrone Clann na Poblachta candidates in Dáil elections