Joseph Connolly

Who was Joseph Connolly?

Joseph Connolly was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician.

He was born 41 Alexander Street West Belfast in 1885, parallel to the Falls Road. He was educated at Milford Street School and at St Malachy's College. Joseph Connolly was an ardent nationalist and became a member of the Gaelic League and the Gaelic Athletic Association. As a result of a personality clash with his father he decided not to join the family business and became apprenticed as an engineer with Coombe, Barbour & Coombe Ltd. After a number of months he gave in his notice and secured a new post in the furniture trade of Maguire & Edwards Ltd. He would subsequently establish a furniture business of his own in the city.

Connolly was a co-founder of the first Freedom Club to propagate Sinn Féin's message in 1911. He was a leader of the Irish Volunteers in Belfast between 1914 and 1916. On 31 January 1916 he married his fiancé, Róisín McGavock, who had completed an Arts Degree at Queen's University Belfast, and they set up home together at Divis Drive near Falls Park. They had eight children together. He was in Dublin for Easter 1916 and Eoin MacNeill sent him to deliver his countermanding order to Drogheda, Belfast and other planned areas of Volunteer mobilisation. After the Easter Rising went ahead anyway in Dublin Connolly was arrested in Belfast and was interned in Knutsford Prison and Reading Gaol.