Edmund Leamy

Who was Edmund Leamy?

Edmund Leamy was an Irish journalist, barrister, author of fairy tales, and nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, where as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party and leading supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell he represented various Irish seats for much of the period from 1880 until his death in 1904.

Leamy was educated at the University High School, Waterford and at the Jesuits Tullabeg College, Co. Offaly. He was called to the Irish bar in 1885. In 1880 he was elected as a Parnellite Home Ruler to one of the two seats for Waterford City. When representation at Waterford was reduced to one seat at the 1885 election, he stood down but was elected unopposed at Cork North East in 1885 and again in 1886. He also stood at Mid Armagh in 1885, but was not elected. Resigning from Cork North East in 1887, he was elected unopposed to a vacancy at South Sligo in 1888.

When the Irish Parliamentary Party split in December 1890 over Parnell’s leadership, Leamy was one of the minority in the Irish National League who supported Parnell.