James Gilhooly

Who was James Gilhooly?

James Gilhooly was an Irish nationalist politician and MP. in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, from 1910 the All-for Ireland Party, who represented his constituency from 1885 for 30 years until his death, retaining his seat in eight elections.

Educated privately, he was the son of a coastguard officer and as a draper and storekeeper by trade, he established an extensive grocery business in Bantry. He married Mary Collins in 1882.

In 1867, the authorities believed him to be a Fenian "Head Centre" in the Bantry area. During the Land League's Land War and the later Plan of Campaign in the late 1880s he was imprisoned several times under the Coercion Act, which permitted imprisonment without trial, and served a three-month sentence for his role in the No Rent Manifesto of 1881. He was first elected to parliament in the 1885 general election as a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party.

As chair person of the local branch of the United Irish League he was some-time president of the local Irish National League. Involved in local politics, he served as Chairman of the Bantry town commissioners and at various times chairman of the Bantry Rural District Council and was a member of the Cork County Council as an ex officio member of the Bantry RDC from its establishment in 1899.