- [LCL]
- List of the Mayors and Sheriffs of the City,
1197-2006,
Corporation of Limerick.
- Provosts and Mayors of Limerick 1197-1997,
by Denis M. Leonard,
in [Lee, 1997].
Family tree - O'Meara - Stephen O'Mara |
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Corporation of Limerick.
by Denis M. Leonard,
in [Lee, 1997].
Stephen O'Mara, Parnellite MP,
in 1879 he gave evidence at the murder
of one of O'Mara's customers in a mugging,
he is not yet described as a councillor,
the murder victim, a general dealer, age nearly 70,
had come from Thurles to Limerick with plenty of cash on his person,
purchased bacon and other goods from O'Mara's on Roches St on Fri 10 Oct 1879,
at which time he had a bit of drink taken;
that evening he was robbed, beaten and thrown into the Shannon to drown,
Stephen O'Mara gave evidence at identification of the body
on Sat 11 Oct,
see Irish Times,
October 13, 1879,
he pledged his support to the
Land League
at its founding, Oct 1879,
see Irish Times,
October 22, 1879,
living 31 Roches St at Nell's birth
1882
[GROI],
joined Limerick Corporation
as Councillor for the Shannon Ward, sometime 1879-84,
while in Limerick Corporation, successfully opposed imposition of
RIC tax on the ratepayers,
the police at that time
"being solely employed in suppressing political gatherings",
listed as "TC"
(Town Councillor)
at dinner to celebrate
the granting of the Freedom of Limerick to
Michael Davitt 1884,
Mayor of Limerick 1885 (would be approx calendar year, Jan 1885 - Jan 1886),
see the
Town Hall, Limerick,
criticised the running of
the Athenaeum, Limerick, 1885, saying:
"The Athenaeum is for the general benefit of the citizens .. not a closed borough",
while he was Mayor,
the Prince of Wales
(future Edward VII)
came to Ireland on a visit
(must be the Royal visit to Ireland, 8-27 April 1885),
luggage train sent on to Limerick in advance,
[Pat Lavelle] says:
"Grandfather met the train and talked to the
equerry
in his quiet, friendly way,
and explained again quite firmly that there would be no question of a civic welcome.
The luggage was not derailed. The Prince of Wales did not visit Limerick.
Grandfather had no opportunity to refuse a knighthood
and practically nobody knew anything about the incident then or later.",
all the poor Limerick lacemakers
had made robes, etc, as gift for Queen Victoria's family,
[Pat Lavelle] says:
"Grandmother felt badly about leaving it in the hands of the poor people who made it",
she bought it off them for her own family,
this is the origin of
the O'Mara wedding veil
in which many O'Mara daughters and granddaughters have been married,
presumably pictured here,
Mayor of Limerick 1886 (second term),
member of the
Irish Parliamentary Party
(or the Irish
Nationalist Party,
or the Home Rule party,
3rd largest party in UK,
led by
Parnell),
MP 1886,
Home Rule MP for Queen's County Ossory
(the W section of Co.Laois)
12th Feb - 9th July 1886,
nominated unopposed 12th Feb 1886 when
winner of
4th Dec 1885 general election
chose to sit elsewhere,
in May 1886 he was in London, his 12 yr old son James
wrote to him, "Will you send a message when you get Home Rule?",
he did NOT practice obstructionism
(that was his son James),
did not stand in
9th July 1886 general election,
see his contributions to parliament in 1886,
lived Hartstonge House, Limerick,
from at least Phons' birth 1887 [GROI]
to at least 1908 [date on a photo],
High Sheriff of Limerick city 1888,
see appointment reported in Irish Times,
December 21, 1887,
in early 1889 he was summoned to court as a Crown witness,
case before Ballyneety Petty Sessions,
with Edward Carson
as prosecutor,
he was asked to disclose what was said at a meeting of the Irish Party
leaders at which Parnell presided,
he refused,
he was imprisoned for a week in Limerick Gaol,
NOT jailed
any other known time,
obituary says he was jailed
"under the Forster regime"
(would refer to
William Edward Forster,
Chief Secretary for Ireland
1880-82),
Alderman of Limerick, listed as "provision merchant and
Alderman"
at Kat's birth Sept 1889
[GROI],
made one of the 3 trustees of the Irish Parliamentary Party funds 1890,
when Irish Parliamentary Party
split over
Parnell
in 1890-91,
he remained loyal to Parnell,
he met Parnell after his fall, alone at a railway station, with no one to meet him,
"who but a year before, had been the idol of thousands"
[Lavelle, 1961],
was at
Parnell's deathbed
in Brighton, 6th Oct 1891,
"and was one of the Members who accompanied his coffin to Dublin",
ceased to take active part in politics after the Parnell split,
though remained as trustee of Irish Parliamentary Party funds,
devoted himself to the reunion of Nationalist forces
(which occurred under Redmond
in 1900),
listed as Alderman for Shannon Ward, Limerick,
in
[Thoms, 1893],
listed as "Alderman" at his brother Jim's
funeral 1893,
he must be "Stephen O'Mara" who sp bapt of his niece
Nora O'Mara 1897,
she must be "Ellen O'Mara" who sp bapt of her niece
Susan O'Mara 1898,
he is
listed as "Alderman" at time of his son Jim's
election as an MP 1900,
attended Dr. David Humphreys' funeral 1903
(their families knew each other,
but they were not yet joined by marriage),
listed as "Alderman",
purchased Donnelly's bacon factory, Dublin, 1906,
he was one of the promoters of the
Munster-Connaught Exhibition,
Limerick, 1906,
President of
Limerick Chamber of Commerce,
resigned trusteeship of Home Rule Party funds 1908,
broadly agreeing with his son James'
recent move to Sinn Fein,
moved c.1909 to Strand House, standing in grounds
on the river at Sarsfield Bridge,
start of Ennis Rd, Limerick city,
Strand House was on the side of the bridge
which is now O'Callaghan's Strand,
living there as at 1910,
see picture of Ellen 1910,
Ellen died of cancer, Strand House, 26th Oct 1910, age 65 yrs,
see death notice,
Irish Times,
October 27, 1910,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
Stephen was
Sheriff of Limerick 1913,
Sheriff of Limerick 1914,
[Pat Lavelle] remembered that he:
"owned a broughm
and a dogcart
and a sidecar",
his grandchildren used to love riding in the sidecar over the cobbled streets of Limerick,
he co-founded the
Irish National League
1916,
as alternative to Home Rule party
in response to the 1916 Rising,
his son James helped persuade
the
Irish National League to merge with
Sinn Fein 1917-8,
in Apr 1917 he was elected member of organizing committee of the National Council
to put Ireland's case before proposed
post-war Peace Conference
(which did not happen until Jan 1919),
in Apr 1918, during WW1,
there was an
attempt to introduce conscription to Ireland,
"It was a common belief in our family that grandfather was approached at this time,
and offered a baronetcy
if he would support conscription
- and that he refused the offer"
[Lavelle, 1961],
"Just prior to the
General Elections of 1918"
[Dec 1918]
"when the Irish Party were so signally defeated by Sinn Fein, Mr.O'Mara
had espoused the latter side in politics, and to use his own words,
he 'broke with life long ties', giving all his support and encouragement to the new movement,
subscribing to its funds with his usual characteristic liberality",
in May 1921, in a time of great strain, his son James
attempting to resign from his position in the US, Stephen would not hear of it:
"Tell Jim not to stab his country in the hour of her agony. I am hurt beyond words",
but his son, for once, would not listen to him,
he lived to see Irish independence,
on 5th Dec 1921, De Valera
staying night in Strand House,
as the Treaty
was being signed in London,
talking in drawing room, Dev:
"I have always wanted to know, Mr. O'Mara, what you thought of Parnell",
"I'll tell you what I thought of Parnell
- if he and I were walking across
Sarsfield Bridge
together
and he said to me
jump in the river
I would jump in",
he saw them off at the station,
"the split had come but no one told Grandfather that the Treaty was signed",
he heard it for the first time as he walked home,
"I have just seen the Chief off at the station.
I am sure there's a truth in these rumours",
he was strongly pro-Treaty,
described as an "ex-Alderman" in
his son's biography, 1923,
called 'the Governor' as a pet name by his own family,
lived to see the 4th generation,
see picture 1924,
Free State Senator
Aug 1925 to death July 1926
(see
Free State Senate),
he had
"a reddish beard and grey blue eyes that saw a lot"
[Pat Lavelle],
died 26th July 1926, Limerick, age 81 yrs,
obituary describes him as "head" of
O'Mara's bacon company,
says he was walking at mid-day from his office in Limerick to
Strand House when he collapsed,
taken home and died,
[Muffie de Courcy]
said he
collapsed coming over
Sarsfield Bridge
(the bridge leading to Strand House),
see
obituary
and
photo
in
Irish Times,
July 27, 1926,
brief report
in
Irish Times,
July 28, 1926,
says the flag is at half mast at
Limerick town hall,
and notes messages of sympathy from
W.T. Cosgrave,
Sir Thomas Esmonde, 11th Baronet,
Mary MacSwiney
and
Cardinal O'Donnell
(a fellow trustee of Irish Parliamentary Party funds),
brief report
in
Irish Times,
July 30, 1926,
notes message of sympathy from
David Keane, Bishop of Limerick,
obituary in Limerick Echo, 31st July,
bur Mount St. Lawrence cemetery, Limerick,
had issue:
As at mid-Sept 1872 they had 3 children.
One month later they had none.
All three children were dead.
The Irish Parliamentary Party, April 1886
(when Stephen O'Mara was an MP).
Image courtesy of
Cork Multitext Project, UCC
(see here).
Used with permission.
Originally from Illustrated London News, 10 April 1886.
Stephen O'Mara, his wife and children, must be 1890 or 1891
(by age of youngest children).
Back (Left to Right):
Joe,
Paddy, Mary, James.
Middle:
Nell, Norrie,
Stephen O'Mara, Ellen Pigott.
Front:
Phons (born Oct 1887),
Kat (born Sept 1889),
Stephen.
Ellen Pigott and Stephen O'Mara.
Detail of 1905 photo.
Stephen O'Mara and Ellen Pigott.
Detail of 1910 photo.
Stephen O'Mara in later years, Limerick.
Strand House, 1925 or 1926.
Background: Mary O'Mara,
Nancy O'Brien,
Pat and Dick Lavelle.
Foreground: Stephen O'Mara
and his great-grandson,
Ruaire Lavelle.
See full size.
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