Election News - Dublin 18 August 1870
18 August 1870 saw the election of Sir Dominic Corrigan as MP for Dublin City. Corrigan had unsuccessfully contested the seat in the general election of 1868, when he came last in the poll. Sir Arthur Guinness, one of the two candidates elected in 1868 was forced to give up his seat after it was shown that his election agent had employed bribery, although unknown to Guinness at the time. Corrigan stood in the resulting by-election and topped the poll; he made his maiden speech to the House of Commons in February 1871 which, according to the Irish papers, was 'a complete success'.
Corrigan's decision to enter politics in 1868 was beset with problems; Sir Arthur Guinness, his main opponent, was the well-known and popular eldest son of the Guinness family which had done much to benefit Dublin. Although the medical profession felt they were under represented in Parliament, Corrigan's candidature as a liberal, and the measures Gladstone had taken, had alienated many Conservative members of the profession. In addition Corrigan also felt his Catholic religion might lose him further support.[1]
Despite the difficulties facing him, Corrigan was successful, and once elected to parliament was an active and vocal campaigner on a number of issues. With the other Dublin MP, Joseph Pim, he campaigned for Fenian Prisoners to be released early and in 1871 spoke for those who had protested in Phoenix Park. He expressed his view that the objects of the meeting were legal and that retaliatory arrest and trials would only make the situation worse.[2]
Corrigan also pressed for reforms to education; he favoured non-denominational education and wanted sweeping reforms to the university system. This brought him into conflict with the Catholic hierarchy during his election campaign in 1870 and again when he was an MP. Had he stood for re-election in 1874, he was told by one Catholic priest that they would have relished 'punishing me for my vote on the education question'.[3] When the University Education Ireland Bill came up for discussion in 1873, Corrigan corresponded directly with Gladstone, who wrote that 'any suggestion coming from you with respect to an Irish University Bill deserves my best attention'. [4]
Corrigan also campaigned, unsuccessfully, for new temperance legislation for Ireland, which would make it illegal to sell alcohol on Sundays and Holy days. In doing so, Corrigan made more enemies for himself amongst the publicans and vintners, although on this occasion he had many of the Catholic clergy on his side.
When parliament was dissolved in 1873 Corrigan decided not to stand for re-election. He wrote to the electors of Dublin informing them of his intention. He defends his actions stating that 'I can truly say that I adhered to every pledge I made'.
Saunder's Newletter suggested that 'it appears that Sir Dominic has lost favour with a large number if his former supporters, and does not consider his prospects sufficiently good to justify him in incurring the expense of a probably unsuccessful contest.' They went on to defend Corrigan, stating 'We must say that the Liberals of Dublin have not treated their late representative with generosity. He brought to their cause a distinguished name which will always hold a high place in the history of Irish medicine, and we are not aware that his party have any reason to complain of any want of zeal on his part in their service.'[5]
Corrigan stood by his decision and on 6 February 1874 the two liberal MPs were replaced by the Conservative Sir Arthur Guinness and the Home Rule MP Maurice Brookes, reflecting the mood of the country with a swing away from the Liberals to Conservatives and Home Rulers.
Images:
* Statue of Sir Arthur Guinness in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin
* Lithograph of Sir Dominic Corrigan, VM/1/2/C/29
* Reply from William Gladstone, 24 October 1873, DC/4/4/4
* Printed Speech, part of DC/1/2/3
* Newspaper cutting, part of DC/1/1/2
References:
[1] Eoin O'Brien, Conscience and Conflict. A Biography of Sir Dominic Corrigan 1802-1880. (Dublin, 1983), pp.269-273.
[2] Letters Relating to Fenian Prisoners, 1870-1871, DC/5/12
[3] Conflict with the Catholic Hierarchy Over Education, 1870-1874, DC/4/2
[4] Reply from William Gladstone, 24 October 1873, DC/4/4/4
[5] Newspaper cutting in Corrigan's Rough Diary, 1874, DC/1/1/2