With Castlebar town about to lose its local authority in the latest local government reforms and continuing debate on the usefulness of local councillors, I am reminded of a man who dominated the local council just over one hundred years ago. James Daly is best known nationally for his part in the creation of the Irish National Land League and locally as owner of the Connaught Telegraph but his time as councillor on the urban council during its infancy was anything but dull.

Cllr James Daly.

By the second decade of the twentieth century, Daly was an elderly, experienced politician who had cut his teeth politically as a member of the Castlebar Board of Guardians as far back as the 1860s. This experience gained him positions on both Mayo County Council and Castlebar Urban District Council when they were established after the Local Government Act of 1898.

At a meeting of the urban council in April 1910, Daly was to stamp his mark on local politics in one of his last forays before his death in 1911. For supporting a council resolution which condemned articles in the Times that attacked C.S. Parnell, James Daly was branded ‘Judas' by fellow councillor Dan Hogan. Hogan pointed to occasions where Daly had politically attacked Parnell in the past and took exception to his seemingly new found admiration for the by now deceased Parnell. Hogan fired out ‘I say to Mr. Daly that his day is gone'. This was not taken lightly by Daly whose life was spent in politics. As the verbal spat continued between the two men, councillors pleaded with Chairman Alexander Larminie to intercede. Larminie had always protested at the inclusion of political resolutions in the chamber partly to avoid such disturbances but also because, as a unionist in a nationalist controlled body, his views would be under constant attack.

A Castlebar Scene - heated personalities - Councillors come to Blows.

Daly took the floor and immediately tendered his resignation ‘owing to the wilfully villainous attack allowed by the chairman'. Hogan retorted ‘Do you deny that you denounced Parnell!'. Incensed, Daly swung his stick at Hogan but missed; taking down gas brackets from over the table instead. Councillors and members of the public including Daly made for the exit but found the door knob had been removed. Larminie attempted to calm the situation but the peace was used by Daly to rush at Hogan again dealing him ‘four or five blows of his fists in the face' followed by wild swings of his walking stick which caught the Chairman across the fingers. Hogan too took blows of the stick to the arms and head. Daly was eventually hurried to an exit and left the room ‘the Acting Clerk declaring that the meeting was at and end'!

This and other stories will feature in a book on local authorities in Castlebar in the near future. Noel can be contacted at towncouncilhistory@castlebar.ie.