Timothy Harrington

Timothy Charles Harrington (1851 – 12 March 1910), born in co. Kerry, was an Irish journalist, barrister, nationalist politician and MP. in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party represented Westmeath from February 1883 to November 1885. In 1885 he was elected for the new constituency of Dublin Harbour, which he represented until his death in 1910. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin three times from 1901–04.

He was educated at the Catholic University of Ireland and Trinity College, Dublin. He owned two newspapers, "United Ireland" and the "Kerry Sentinel" and was a member of the so-called Bantry band of prominent nationalist politicians from the Bantry vicinity. They were also more pejoratively known as the Pope's brass band. Tim Healy was another prominent member of this unofficial group.

Harrington was secretary and chief organisor of the Irish National League (INL), supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell and was largely responsible for devising the agarian Plan of Campaign in 1886. He became a pro-Parnellite Nationalist when the party split in 1891 continuing as secretary of the INL. In 1897 he proclaimed himself an Independent Nationalist and sided with William O'Brien's United Irish League from its early days. He was briefly considered as a possible alternative to John Redmond as leader of the re-united Irish Parliamentary Party in 1900 when he stood in the general election that year as a Nationalist again.

Thereafter he became excluded from Redmond's closed circle of confidants, he retained sympathy with O'Brien and was strongly identified with the Land Conference negotiations which led to the Wyndham Irish Land (Purchase) Act (1903).

He was noted as a particularly hardline nationalist. For instance, in 1902, during Harrington's mayoralty, King Edward VII visited Dublin but Harrington refused to even meet his sovereign lord, and turned down tempting offers by Wyndham to support an address.

Harrington is celebrated by a statue erected in 2001 at the east end of Castletownbere near the Millbrook bar.

On Saturday, 7 September 1901, the then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Tim Harrington kicked off at the official ceremony to open Bohemian FC's new home, Dalymount Park.

References

* " Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Vol. II 1886-1918", edited by M. Stenton & S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
* " Who's Who of "The Long Gestation" Irish Nationalist Life 1891-1918", Patrick Maume, Gill & Macmillan (1999) ISBN 0-7171-2744-3
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