Matthew Harris (also Mat or Matt) (1826–13 April 1890) was an Irish Fenian, Land Leaguer, 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 Galway East from 1885 to his death in 1890. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Fianna Éireann The Fenians, both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood, were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor Tenant farmers Its primary aim was to abolish Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP (commonly called the Irish Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing East Galway was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922

Born in Athlone ^[1] to Peter and Ann Harris,^[2] he spent most of his adult life in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, where he worked as a building contractor. Athlone ( is a town that lies on the River Shannon near the southern extremity of Lough Ree, Ireland. Ballinasloe ( is a town in the eastern extremity of County Galway in Ireland. County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. A general contractor is a group or individual that Contracts with another organization or individual (the owner for the Construction or Renovation His grandfather, Peter Harris, was executed in Monasterevin by British forces for his role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Monasterevin ( Mainistir Eimhín in Irish) is a Town in County Kildare in the Ireland. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the

He was involved in all the major 19th-century political movements of Irish nationalism, and was in the turn a Repealer, a Young Irelander, before moving to join the Fenians, where he became the main Fenian representative in east County Galway and south County Roscommon. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell to campaign for a repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 between Young Ireland ( Irish: Éire Óg) was a political cultural and social movement which was to revolutionise the way that Irish nationalism was perceived The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. Not to be confused with Roscommon County Michigan, United States County Roscommon (Contae Ros Comáin is a County located in central Ireland

From 1865 to 1880 he was an active Fenian and the representative of the West of Ireland on the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth In 1880 with Michael Davitt, he was retired from the Supreme Council, and thereafter his energies were devoted primarily to the land struggle. Michael Davitt ( Irish name: Mícheál Mac Dáibhéid) ( March 25, 1846 &ndash May 30, 1906) was an Irish The Land War in Irish History was a period of Agrarian agitation in rural Ireland in the 1870s 1880s and 1890s In the same year, he worked on the T. P. O'Connor's election campaign in the Galway Borough election. Thomas Power O'Connor ( 5 October 1848 &ndash 18 November 1929) known as T Galway Borough was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland ^[3]

In the 1885 general election he was elected as MP for Galway East. Results |} Total votes cast 4638235 All parties shown Voting summary Seats summary See also Along with other Land League leaders, he was indicted in 1887 under the Coercion Act for conspiracy in relation to his involvement in the Plan of Campaign. The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor Tenant farmers Its primary aim was to abolish Between 1801 and 1922 the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed over 100 acts of emergency law in an attempt to establish law and order in Ireland. The Plan of Campaign was a stratagem adopted in Ireland between 1886 and 1891 co-ordinated by Irish politicians for the benefit of Tenant farmers

During the Parnell Commission of 1888 Sir Henry James cross-examined Harris, as treasurer of the Land League, as to whether anything had been paid to the Clan na Gael. The Parnell Commission was a judicial Inquiry in the late 1880's into allegations of crimes by Irish parliamentarian Charles Stewart Parnell which resulted in his Sir Henry James Sumner Maine, KCSI ( August 15, 1822 - February 3, 1888) was an English comparative jurist and The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor Tenant farmers Its primary aim was to abolish For the Celtic Rock band formerly known as Clan na Gael see Seven Nations. The other treasurer, the late John Dillon, had left for Australia. Harris declared that the figure Sir Henry James mentioned did not appear in the books of the League. ^[4]

He was married to Mary Martha (Molly) Bennett of Ahascragh. Ahascragh ( is a village in east Galway, Ireland. It is located north-west of Ballinasloe on the Ahascragh/Bunowen River a tributary of the River His granddaughter Norah Walker (1900–1985) was the wife of Irish poet Austin Clarke. Austin Clarke ( May 9 1896 &ndash March 19 1974) was one of the leading Irish poets of the generation after W ^[5] Harris's great-grandson is the Irish playwright Ulick O'Connor. Ulick O'Connor (born 1928) is an Irish writer historian and critic The former Kildare Teachtaí Dála Patrick Dooley and Thomas Harris were also related to Matt Harris. Kildare ( Cill Dara in modern Irish, originally derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish meaning "Church of the Oak" is a town in County A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Patrick Dooley (14 January 1910 – 2 May 1982 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician Thomas Harris (1895 – 18 February 1974 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician

Contents 1 Harris in the words of others 2 Death 3 Writings 4 Notes 5 Sources 6 External Links

Harris in the words of others

William O'Brien recalls an incident in 1881, when the leaders of the Land League decided to meet in Paris to avoid arrest in the United Kingdom. William O'Brien (Irish Parliamentary Party should not be confused with his contemporary William X The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor Tenant farmers Its primary aim was to abolish Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

While we were waiting for Parnell, Mat Harris afforded comic relief. On the Sunday before his arrival Mat and I walked the Boulevards in a foggy frost, cursing his neglect. Suddenly Matt asked could I get him a glass of whiskey. I steered for the Cafe de la Paix as a likely venue, but no whiskey was then stocked there. I told this to Mat, and proposed brandy. He grumbled, but ordered a "fine champagne. " The waiter poured out a tot into a tiny liqueur glass, to Mat's wonderment. "What's that?" he asked. "Fine champagne, monsieur. " Mat, glass in hand, surveyed him. Disdaining its insignificance, he threw off its contents, but muttered to the Frenchman, "No wonder the Prussians licked ye!"^[6]

Timothy Michael Healy described how Harris was an inspiration for younger Irish nationalists:

Mat was a power in Connaught, and possessed a flow of humour. Timothy Michael Healy, KC (17 May 1855 &ndash 26 March 1931 was an Irish nationalist politician journalist author barrister and one of the most Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and We youngsters sat at his feet as a veteran to hear him discourse of old times. He once proclaimed, as we pastured on soda and milk, while he drank punch in the Imperial Hotel, Dublin: "I'd rather be at my own humble fireside in Ballinasloe after my third tumbler of punch, than drinking soda and milk in the best hotel in Europe!"

Death

In January, 1890, from his deathbed, when Biggar passed away, Mat wrote me a letter of condolence as Joe's closest friend. Its end was: "I foresee that Biggar's loss portends a great misfortune to the Irish Cause. "^[7]

Matt Harris died from stomach cancer on 13 April, 1890, and is buried at Creagh, Ballinasloe. A Monument was unveiled to his memory in 1907. ^[8]

The inscription on the Matthew Harris monument reads:^[9]

“

This monument was erected in memory of Matthew Harris ESQ M. P. By his fellow countrymen as a tribute to his lofty Patriotism his spotless integrity his unselfish devotion Of great powers to great public ends his lifelong services to The cause of Irish Nationality his sympathy with the Oppressed of every race and creed like the great apostle Preaching Christ he knew only humanity and humanity crucified BORN 1826 ELECTED MP FOR EAST GALWAY 1885 DIED APRIL 13th 1890

”

Writings

• Harris, Matthew, The improvement of rivers and reclamation of waste lands . . . considered in relation to the Shannon, its tributaries, and the districts through which they flow. A letter addressed to . . . B. Disraeli, M. P. , Dublin: McGlashan & Gill, 1876.
• Harris, Matthew, Matthew Harris on the political situation, [n. p. , 1880]
• Harris, Matthew, Land reform: a letter to the council of the Irish National Land League, Dublin: Gill, 1881.

Notes

Sources

• A new Dictionary of Irish History: From 1800, D. J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, Gill & MacMillan, Dublin/Norway, 2003, ISBN 0 7171 2520 3
• Fenian Memories, Dr. Mark F. Ryan, Edited by T. F. O'Sullivan, M. H. Gill & Son, LTD, Dublin, 1945

External Links

• Connacht Tribune, 20 April 1984
• The Post.ie

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New constituency	MP for East Galway 1885–1890	Succeeded by John Roche

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories East Galway was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922 John Roche (1848– August 27 1914) was an Irish politician Born in Woodford, Co Galway, he was the son of William Roche a miller

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