Jack McQuillan

Irish politician and trade unionist (1920–1998)

For the English footballer, see Jack McQuillan (footballer).

Jack McQuillan

McQuillan in 1948, taken outside Leinster House

Senator
In office
23 June 1965 – 5 November 1969
Constituency| Administrative Panel
Teachta Dála
In office
February 1948 – April 1965
Constituency| Roscommon
Personal details
Born|

John McQuillan

(1920-08-30)30 August 1920
Ballyforan, County Roscommon, Ireland
Died| 8 March 1998(1998-03-08) (aged 77)
Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Political party|

* Clann na Poblachta (1945–1951)
* Independent (1951–1958)
* National Progressive Democrats (1958–1963)
* Labour Party (1963–1967)
* Socialist Labour Party (1977–1979)

Spouse| Angela McQuillan
Children| 1
Education|

* Roscommon CBS
* Summerhill College
* St Clement's Redemptorist College

John McQuillan (30 August 1920 – 8 March 1998) was an Irish politician, trade unionist and army officer.

## Early life

[edit]

He was born in Ballyforan, County Roscommon in 1920, the eldest of seven childlen. His father, Thomas Francis McQuillan was a Royal Irish Constabulary sergeant, and later became a school teacher, while his mother Anne (née Fallon) was a national school teacher who came from a Republican family.[1][2] McQuillan was educated at Roscommon CBS, Summerhill College, Sligo, and St Clement's Redemptorist College, Limerick.[3]

He was a member of the Roscommon county team that won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1943 and 1944. He began a career as an officer in the Irish Army though resigned to work as a local government official.[3]

## Politics

[edit]

He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt as a Clann na Poblachta Teachta Dála (TD) for the Roscommon constituency at the 1948 general election.[4] After fellow Clann na Poblachta TD, Noël Browne resigned as Minister for Health, McQuillan resigned from Clann na Poblachta in support of Browne and sat as an Independent TD. He was re-elected at the 1951, 1954 and 1957 general elections as an independent TD.[5]

On 16 May 1958, the National Progressive Democrats party was founded with Noël Browne and McQuillan as the party's leaders. Between 1958 and 1961, 7 of the 9 motions discussed in Private Member's Time had been proposed by one of them. In 1961 and 1962 they asked 1,400 parliamentary questions, 17% of the total. The Taoiseach Seán Lemass paid them a unique compliment by referring to them as "the real opposition". Both were re-elected at the 1961 general election. In October 1963 both men joined the Labour Party. This new arrangement did not prove electorally beneficial to McQuillan as he lost his seat in Roscommon at the 1965 general election. However, he was elected to Seanad Éireann by the Administrative Panel. He resigned the Labour Party whip in 1967 and did not seek re-election at the 1969 general election, and retired from his Roscommon County Council seat in 1974.

When the Socialist Labour Party was founded in 1977, McQuillan joined as a trustee of the new party but later resigned. Remaining close to Noël Browne he lobbied hard for him to get the Labour Party nomination to contest the 1990 presidential election for the Labour Party. However, Mary Robinson was the preferred candidate of Dick Spring.

He died on 8 March 1998 in Bray, County Wicklow.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Coyne, D. (2008). "Jack McQuillan 1920 – 1998". South Roscommon.ie. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
2. ^ "Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy". Houses of the Oireachtas. 12 March 1998. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
3. ^ a b White, Lawrence William. "McQuillan, Johnn". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
4. ^ "John McQuillan". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
5. ^ "Jack McQuillan". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
6. ^ "Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy", Seanad Éireann, 154, 12 March 1998

## Sources

[edit]

* Kevin Rafter (1996), The Clann: The Story of Clann na Poblachta
* John Horgan (2000), Noel Browne: Passionate Outsider
* Noel Browne (1986), Against the Tide (Gill & Macmillan)

## External links

[edit]

* Coyne, Declan (8 February 2007). "The Roscommon Rebel, The Story of Jack McQuillan". Dhá Lon Productions. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012. A radio documentary, 3×45min CDs first broadcast on RosFM.

* v
* t
* e

Clann na Poblachta

Leader|

* Seán MacBride

Elected representatives|

| Dáil Éireann|

* Joseph Barron
* Joseph Brennan
* Noël Browne
* Johnny Connor
* Peadar Cowan
* Mick Fitzpatrick
* Patrick Kinane
* Con Lehane
* Jack McQuillan
* Kathleen O'Connor
* John Timoney
* John Tully

|

Seanad Éireann|

* Patrick McCartan
* Denis Ireland

Local government|

* Martin McGowan

Non-elected members|

* Aodh de Blácam
* Paudge Brennan
* W.J. Brennan-Whitmore
* Ruairí Brugha
* Conor Byrne
* Seán Carroll
* Kathleen Clarke
* Stephen Coughlan
* Simon Donnelly
* Michael ffrench-O'Carroll
* Denis Gallagher
* Tom Hales
* Noel Hartnett
* Sheila Humphreys
* Maura Laverty
* Michael Lipper
* Patrick MacCarvill
* Uinseann MacEoin
* Josephine McNeill
* Eric O'Gowan
* Ted Russell
* Margaret Skinnider

Affiliated|

* Liam Kelly

Influences|

* Irish republicanism
* Social democracy
* New Deal

Policy|

* Mother and Child Scheme
* Government of the 13th Dáil

* Category:Clann na Poblachta politicians

* v
* t
* e

Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Roscommon constituency

This table is transcluded from Roscommon (Dáil constituency). (edit | history)

| Dáil | Election | Deputy
(Party) | Deputy
(Party) | Deputy
(Party) | Deputy
(Party)

|
|
|
|
|

4th | 1923  |  | George Noble Plunkett
(Rep)  |  | Henry Finlay
(CnaG)  |  | Gerald Boland
(Rep)  |  | Andrew Lavin
(CnaG)
1925 by-election |  | Martin Conlon
(CnaG)
5th | 1927 (Jun)  |  | Patrick O'Dowd
(FF)  |  | Gerald Boland
(FF)  |  | Michael Brennan
(Ind)
6th | 1927 (Sep)
7th | 1932  |  | Daniel O'Rourke
(FF)  |  | Frank MacDermot
(NCP)
8th | 1933  |  | Patrick O'Dowd
(FF)  |  | Michael Brennan
(CnaG)
9th | 1937  |  | Michael Brennan
(FG)  |  | Daniel O'Rourke
(FF)  | 3 seats
1937–1948
10th | 1938
11th | 1943  |  | John Meighan
(CnaT)  |  | John Beirne
(CnaT)
12th | 1944  |  | Daniel O'Rourke
(FF)
13th | 1948  |  | Jack McQuillan
(CnaP)
14th | 1951  |  | John Finan
(CnaT)  |  | Jack McQuillan
(Ind)
15th | 1954  |  | James Burke
(FG)
16th | 1957
17th | 1961  |  | Patrick J. Reynolds
(FG)  |  | Brian Lenihan Snr
(FF)  |  | Jack McQuillan
(NPD)
1964 by-election |  | Joan Burke
(FG)
18th | 1965  |  | Hugh Gibbons
(FF)
19th | 1969  | Constituency abolished. See Roscommon–Leitrim

Dáil | Election | Deputy
(Party) | Deputy
(Party) | Deputy
(Party)

|
|
|
|

22nd | 1981  |  | Terry Leyden
(FF)  |  | Seán Doherty
(FF)  |  | John Connor
(FG)
23rd | 1982 (Feb)  |  | Liam Naughten
(FG)
24th | 1982 (Nov)
25th | 1987
26th | 1989  |  | Tom Foxe
(Ind)  |  | John Connor
(FG)
27th | 1992  | Constituency abolished. See Longford–Roscommon

* v
* t
* e

« 10th Seanad « Members of the 11th Seanad (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 (Ind)
* Jack McQuillan (Lab, then Ind)
* Patrick O'Reilly (FG)
* Éamon Rooney (FG)
* Patrick Teehan (FF)

Agricultural Panel|

* Jack Fitzgerald (Lab)
* Patrick Malone (FG)
* John Mannion Snr (FG)
* James Martin (FF)
* Charles McDonald (FG)
* Patrick McGowan (FF)
* Patrick O'Reilly (FF)
* Timothy O'Sullivan (FF)
* Micheál Prendergast (FG)
* Patrick W. Ryan (Ind)
* William Ryan (FF)

Cultural and Educational Panel|

* Timothy McAuliffe (Lab)
* John J. Nash (FF)
* Liam Ó Buachalla (FF)
* Michael O'Kennedy (FF)
* Ben O'Quigley (FG)

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 (FG)
* 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)

Dublin University|

* William J. E. Jessop (Ind)
* Owen Sheehy-Skeffington (Ind)
* William Bedell Stanford (Ind)

National University|

* Bryan Alton (Ind)
* Dónall Ó Conalláin (Ind)
* Patrick Quinlan (Ind)

Nominated by the Taoiseach|

* Kit Ahern (FF)
* Gerald Boland (FF)
* John Copeland Cole (Ind)
* Joseph Lenehan (FF)
* Thomas Mullins (FF)
* Nora Connolly O'Brien (Ind)
* Seán O'Donovan (FF)
* Margaret Mary Pearse (FF)
* James Ryan (FF)
* William Sheldon (Ind)
* Michael Yeats (FF)

Elected or nominated later|

* 1968 Farrell McElgunn (FF)

* FF: Fianna Fáil
* FG: Fine Gael
* Lab: Labour Party
* Ind: Independent

* v
* t
* e

Roscommon – 1943 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (1st title)

* 1 F. Glynn
* 2 L. Cummins
* 3 J. P. O'Callaghan
* 4 B. Jackson
* 5 B. Lynch
* 6 B. Carlos
* 7 B. Heavey
* 8 É. Boland
* 9 L. Gilmartin
* 10 P. Murray
* 11 J Murray (c)
* 12 D. Keenan
* 13 D. McDermott
* 14 J. McQuillan
* 15 F. Kinlough

Trainer
T. Heneghan

* v
* t
* e

Roscommon – 1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (2nd title)

* 1 O. Hoare
* 2 B. Jackson
* 3 J. P. O'Callaghan
* 4 J. Casserly
* 5 B. Lynch
* 6 B. Carlos
* 7 P. Murray
* 8 É. Boland
* 9 L. Gilmartin
* 10 F. Kinlough
* 11 J Murray (c)
* 12 D. Keenan
* 13 H. Gibbons
* 14 J. McQuillan
* 15 J. J. Nerney

Trainer
T. Heneghan
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