Henry Coyle

Who was Henry Coyle?

Henry Coyle was a National Army officer and later a Cumann na nGaedheal politician.

He was elected at the 1923 general election to the 4th Dáil as Teachta Dála for Mayo North. In 1924, Coyle was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for bouncing cheques. Because his sentence was for more than six months, he was disqualified from the Oireachtas from 9 May 1924 under Section 51 of the Electoral Act 1923. The by-election caused by his disqualification was won by John Madden of Sinn Féin.

Coyle remains the only TD to have been disqualified in this way. Other TDs who have been imprisoned, such as Tony Gregory in the 1980s, Liam Lawlor in 2002 or the Mayo Clann na Talmhan TDs Dominick Cafferky and Bernard Commons in the 1940s, received sentences of less than 6 months.