P. A. McHugh

Patrick Aloysius "P.A." McHugh (1858 – 30 May 1909), also spelt M’Hugh, was an Irish Nationalist Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for North Leitrim, 1892-1906, and for North Sligo from 1906 until his death in 1909.

Born at Annagh, Glenfarne, Leitrim, he was the son of a tenant farmer, Peter M’Hugh of Leitrim, and of Anne McDermott. He entered a Catholic seminary, but left without taking orders.[1] He went to Paris and engaged in journalism,[2] and taught science and classics in the Athlone and Sligo Intermediate schools. In 1882 he married Mary Harte, daughter of a J. Harte of Sligo. She died in 1894. He became owner of The Sligo Champion in 1885. He was Mayor of Sligo in 1888, and again in 1895-98 and 1900. He was elected to Sligo County Council on its establishment in 1899 and became its first chairman.

He was elected MP for North Leitrim as an Anti-Parnellite Nationalist in 1892, winning comfortably over the Unionist candidate with 87% of the vote. He retained the seat unopposed in 1895. At this election he also challenged the Parnellite Willie Redmond in East Clare, losing by only 57 votes in a poll of over 6,500. In 1900, standing for the reunited Irish Parliamentary Party, he was again challenged in North Leitrim by a Unionist, but again won comfortably, with 91% of the vote. In April 1901 he was imprisoned for six months following conviction for ‘seditious libel’ on account of an article on Jury Packing in Sligo published in his newspaper.[3] The article had attacked jurymen who had convicted two men of intimidating persons who rented farms from which the former owners had been evicted. On his release he was given a celebratory lunch by the Lord Mayor of Dublin.[4] In 1906 he was returned unopposed both for North Leitrim and for North Sligo, and chose to sit for the latter constituency, which he represented until his death in 1909.[5]

A monument erected to him outside the main post office was moved to the town hall in the 1970s; 2007 plans to move it again during roadworks were opposed by the council.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Stenton & Lees 1978
  2. ↑ New York Times 22/10/1901
  3. ↑ Stenton & Lees 1978, New York Times 22/10/1901
  4. ↑ New York Times 22/10/1901
  5. ↑ Walker 1989
  6. ↑ "Bid to restore PA to his rightful place runs into a stone wall". Irish Independent. 11 November 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2015.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
William McKillop		 Member of Parliament for North Sligo
1906–1909 		Succeeded by
Thomas Scanlan
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