- Nora Connolly O'Brien
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Nora Connolly O'Brien Senator In office
1957–1969Constituency Nominated by the Taoiseach Personal details Born 1893
ScotlandNationality Irish Political party Independent Nora Connolly O'Brien (1893 – 17 June 1981) was an activist and writer; she was also a member of the Irish Senate.
The second daughter of James Connolly and Lillie Connolly, she was born in Scotland. In 1904, the family moved to the United States and moved to Belfast in 1907. In 1911, the family moved to Dublin where she was a founder member of the Young Republican Party, the female branch of the Fianna.[citation needed]
After the execution of her father following the Easter Rising in 1916, she became a life-long supporter of the Irish republican movement and of the Irish left wing. In 1918, she toured the US lecturing on the Rising. She took part in the Irish War of Independence and was briefly imprisoned during the Irish Civil War. In 1922, she married Seamus O'Brien.
In 1934, Connolly O'Brien supported the Republican Congress movement, but resigned after it refused to become a political party. During the 1930s, she corresponded with Leon Trotsky and became a prominent figure on the European non-Stalinist Left. A close friend of the Connolly family William X. O'Brien later attempted to persuade the Irish government to offer asylum in Ireland for Trotsky.
From 1957 to 1969, she served three terms in the Seanad as one of the Taoiseach's nominees.
Shortly before her death in 1981, she spoke at the 1980 Ardfheis of Sinn Féin.
Bibliography
- The Irish Rebell (1916)
- The Unbroken Tradition (1918)
- Portrait of a Rebel Father aka Born of a Rebel Father(1935)
- James Connolly Wrote for Today – Socialism (1978)
- We Shall Rise Again (1981, Mosquito Press)
External links
- Oireachtas Members database entry
- Correspondence between Nora Connolly O'Brien and Leon Trotsky, www.workersrepublic.org
« 10th Seanad « Members of the 11th Seanad Éireann (1965–1969) » 12th Seanad » Cathaoirleach Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) • Leader of the Seanad Thomas Mullins (FF) Administrative Panel Liam Ahern (FF) • Kieran Egan (FF) • Patrick Fitzsimons (??) • Jack McQuillan (NPD) • Patrick O'Reilly (FG) • Éamon Rooney (FG) • Patrick Teehan (FF)
Agricultural Panel Jack Fitzgerald (??) • Patrick Malone (FG) • John Mannion, Snr (FG) • James Martin (FF) • Charles McDonald (FG) • Patrick McGowan (FF) • Patrick O'Reilly (FF) • Timothy O'Sullivan (FF) • Mícheál Prendergast (??) • Patrick W. Ryan (??) • William Ryan (FF)
Cultural and Educational Panel Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) • John J. Nash (FF) • Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) • Michael O'Kennedy (FF) • John O'Quigley (??)
Industrial and Commercial Panel John J. Brennan (FF) • John Conlan (FG) • Mary Davidson (Lab) • Garret FitzGerald (FG) • Thomas Flanagan (Ind) • Dermot Honan (FF) • Bernard McGlinchey (FF) • Denis J. O'Sullivan (FG) • Eoin Ryan, Snr (FF)
Labour Panel Seán Brosnahan (Ind) • Seán Browne (FF) • Victor Carton (??) • Patrick Crowley (Lab) • Séamus Dolan (FF) • James Dooge (FG) • Joseph Farrell (FF) • Mark Killilea, Snr (FF) • Vincent McHugh (FG) • Dominick Murphy (Lab) • John Ormonde (FF)
National University of Ireland Bryan Alton (Ind) • Dónall Ó Conalláin (Ind) • Patrick Quinlan (Ind)
University of Dublin William J.E. Jessop (Ind) • Owen Sheehy-Skeffington (Ind) • William Bedell Stanford (Ind)
Nominated by the Taoiseach Kit Ahern (FF) • Gerald Boland (FF) • John C. Cole (??) • Joseph Lenehan (FF) • Thomas Mullins (FF) • Nora Connolly O'Brien (FF) • Seán O'Donovan (??) • Margaret Mary Pearse (FF) • James Ryan (FF) • William Sheldon (Ind) • Michael Yeats (FF)
Elected or nominated later 1968 Farrell McElgunn (FF)
OFF: Fianna Fáil • FG: Fine Gael • Lab: Labour Party • NPD: National Progressive Democrats • Ind: Independent • ??: Unknown party « 9th Seanad « Members of the 10th Seanad Éireann (1961–1965) » 11th Seanad » Cathaoirleach Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) • Leader of the Seanad Thomas Mullins (FF) Administrative Panel Liam Ahern (FF) • Seán Brady (FF) • Cornelius Desmond (??) • Thomas J. Fitzpatrick (FG) • Patrick Fitzsimons (??) • Gerry L'Estrange (FG) • Thomas Ruane (FF)
Agricultural Panel Jack Fitzgerald (??) • Daniel Hogan (FF) • Robert Lahiffe (FF) • John Mannion, Snr (FG) • Charles McDonald (FG) • Patrick O'Reilly (FF) • Timothy O'Sullivan (FF) • Mícheál Prendergast (??) • Patrick W. Ryan (??) • William Ryan (FF) • John Donnelly Sheridan (??)
Cultural and Educational Panel Michael Hayes (FG) • Eamonn Kissane (FF) • Timothy McAuliffe (Lab) • John J. Nash (FF) • Liam Ó Buachalla (FF)
Industrial and Commercial Panel Gerald Boland (FF) • Mary Davidson (Lab) • Thomas Flanagan (Ind) • Patrick Lindsay (FG) • Bernard McGlinchey (FF) • Edward McGuire (??) • Daniel Moloney (FF) • Joseph Quigley (FG) • Eoin Ryan, Snr (FF)
Labour Panel Seán Brosnahan (Ind) • Seán Browne (FF) • John Butler (Lab) • Victor Carton (??) • Patrick Crowley (Lab) • James Dooge (FG) • Joseph Farrell (FF) • Seán Hayes (FF) • Mark Killilea, Snr (FF) • Dominick Murphy (Lab) • Michael Yeats (FF)
National University of Ireland Dónall Ó Conalláin (Ind) • George O'Brien (Ind) • Patrick Quinlan (Ind)
University of Dublin William J.E. Jessop (Ind) • J. N. Ross (Ind) • William Bedell Stanford (Ind)
Nominated by the Taoiseach John J. Brennan (FF) • John C. Cole (??) • Gus Healy (FF) • Joe Mooney (FF) • Thomas Mullins (FF) • Tom Nolan (FF) • Nora Connolly O'Brien (FF) • Seán O'Donovan (??) • Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (??) • Margaret Mary Pearse (FF) • William Sheldon (Ind)
Elected or nominated later 1963 John Costelloe (??) • Batt Donegan (FF) • 1964 Kit Ahern (FF)
FF: Fianna Fáil • FG: Fine Gael • Lab: Labour Party • Ind: Independent • ??: Unknown party « 8th Seanad « Members of the 9th Seanad Éireann (1957–1961) » 10th Seanad » Cathaoirleach Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) • Leader of the Seanad name (party) Administrative Panel Patrick Connor (FG) • Patrick Fitzsimons (Ind) • Gerry L'Estrange (FG) • John O'Leary (Lab) • John L. O'Sullivan (FG) • Thomas Ruane (FF) • Patrick Teehan (FF)
Agricultural Panel Patrick Baxter (CnaT) • Patrick Crowe (FG) • Paddy Donegan (FG) • Daniel Hogan (FF) • Robert Lahiffe (FF) • William O'Callaghan (??) • Patrick O'Reilly (FF) • Timothy O'Sullivan (FF) • Mícheál Prendergast (??) • John Donnelly Sheridan (??) • James Tunney (Lab)
Cultural and Educational Panel Anthony Barry (FG) • Michael Hayes (FG) • Eamonn Kissane (FF) • Liam Ó Buachalla (FF) • John O'Donovan (FG)
Industrial and Commercial Panel Denis Burke (FG) • Tadhg Crowley (FF) • Mary Davidson (Lab) • Jane Dowdall (FF) • Brian Lenihan (FF) • Peter Lynch (??) • Edward McGuire (Ind) • James O'Keeffe (FG) • Joseph Roddy (FG)
Labour Panel Liam Ahern (FF) • Frank Carter (FF) • Victor Carton (FG) • Harry Colley (FF) • Patrick Crowley (Lab) • Seán Hayes (FF) • Dominick Murphy (Lab) • John O'Quigley (??) • Frank Purcell (??) • Eoin Ryan, Snr (FF) • Joseph Sheridan (Ind)
National University of Ireland Henry Barniville (Ind) • George O'Brien (Ind) • Patrick Quinlan (Ind)
University of Dublin William Fearon (Ind) • Owen Sheehy-Skeffington (Ind) • William Bedell Stanford (Ind)
Nominated by the Taoiseach Seán Brady (FF) • John C. Cole (??) • Robert Farnan (??) • Seán Moylan (FF) • Thomas Mullins (FF) • Nora Connolly O'Brien (FF) • Seán O'Donovan (??) • Seán O'Grady (FF) • Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (??) • Margaret Mary Pearse (FF) • Laurence Walsh (FF)
Elected or nominated later 1958 Louis Walsh (??) • 1960 John J. Brennan (FF) • William J.E. Jessop (Ind) • Edward Browne (??) • Gerard B. Dillon (FF)
FF: Fianna Fáil • FG: Fine Gael • CnaT: Clann na Talmhan • Lab: Labour Party • Ind: Independent • ??: Unknown party Categories:- Female members of Seanad Éireann
- Members of the 9th Seanad
- Members of the 10th Seanad
- Members of the 11th Seanad
- 1893 births
- 1981 deaths
- Irish politician stubs
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