John O'Connor

Who was John O'Connor?

John O'Connor was an Irish Nationalist revolutionary-turned Parnellite parliamentarian MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party represented Tipperary in 1885, and South Tipperary from 1885 to 1892, and North Kildare from 1905 to 1918. He was also member of the English Bar.

He was called to the English Bar in 1893 and after his final parliamentary defeat, aged nearly 70, became a King's Counsel in 1919. He was commonly known as "Long John" because of his great height – he measured at least 6 ft 6in in height.

He was the son of William O'Connor and Julia Corbet, both fluent Irish speakers, and was educated by the Christian Brothers at Cork. Other details of his early life given in the official obituary in The Times were disputed by the historian Denis Gwynn, apparently without resolution. Thus it is not clear whether he was born in Mallow or in Blarney Lane in Cork city.