From the archives: 1900 Mayo local election a victory for working classes
By Tom Gillespie
A MOST exciting contest for Castlebar Urban Council took place on January 15, 1900, The Connaught Telegraph reported, when five candidates sought the suffrages of the electorate for four seats on the body.
Four members had retired by rotation and as two did not seek re-election it meant three new candidates were endeavouring to woo local voters.
An attempt had been made to save the expense entailed by a contested election but negotiations between the parties had broken down.
The two retiring councillors were Messers. John Kelly, J.P., general draper, Main Street, and Patrick Timlin, general merchant, The Bridge, Castlebar. Those two gentlemen had been selected by the Castlebar Branch of the United Irish League which also adopted as its standard bearer a well-known and highly respected tradesman, Mr. James Gavin, plasterer and slater, Charles Street, Castlebar.
The fourth official League candidate was Mr. Michael Horan, draper, Bridge Street, who also happened to be secretary of the League.
The fifth candidate was an unofficial United Irish League member, Mr. Thomas J. Loftus, cattle dealer, Linenhall Street.
In a lengthy election address Mr. Horan referred to the fact that Messers. Timlin, Kelly and Gavin had been selected unanimously at a meeting of the Castlebar Branch of the United Irish League and in order to save the cost of a contested election a ballot was taken between Mr. Loftus and himself as to who would represent the League as the fourth candidate.
The result of the poll was that Mr. Loftus secured only 28 votes while he obtained 51. Mr. Loftus, who promised beforehand to abide by the decision of the League, now repudiated that decision, the result being that ‘the already over-taxed ratepayers of Castlebar would be fleeced in their next rates with the cost of an election that would involve an expenditure of over £60’. Mr. Horan reminded the voters that as a United Irish Leaguer he had contested the recent Rural District Council election for the Electoral Division of Crimlin and ‘had fought the rent-office candidate at his own door and thanks to the sterling electorate of Crimlin, had defeated him by a large majority’.
As he had always upheld the cause of Irish Nationality as well as furthering the interests of the workers, he appealed to each voter to put an X after his name on the day of the election.
In an equally extensive election address Mr. Loftus, as a native of Castlebar, regretted that the ratepayers could not be spared from the expense of an election.
He stated: “The present contest forced on the people is due to the overpowering ambition of Mr. Horan, who, though a resident in Castlebar for but a short time, still aims at all of the Municipal, District and County honours vacant and for which even the oldest inhabitants of Castlebar are now asked to vote for the latest arrival in town.
“It was clearly understood between Mr. Horan and I that without any canvassing, a vote of the members of the United Irish League Branch would be taken to decide whether he or I should be selected to represent the League on the Urban Council.
“This understanding Mr. Horan broke from, making a strenuous canvass night and day among the members of the Branch and thereby securing a majority of the votes, which voting - seeing the methods that were being adopted - I objected to before any voting took place and I then determined to test by an appeal to the electorate whether the claim of this ambitious new-comer to represent Castlebar is as firmly and as soundly based as that of one who has the honour of being a native born in the town of Castlebar.
“Being a heavy ratepayer and freeholder myself, unlike my opponent in the contest, it will be my interest in keeping down taxation to the lowest possible figure.”
Mr. Loftus also published a requisition, signed by a number of residents, requesting him to represent them on the council.
The document was signed by Blinda Vary, Michael McDonagh, Mary Munnelly, William P. Gibbons, Austin O’Malley, Mary Costello, Hynes McAndrew, Martin Cawley, Pat Lynch, David Nolan, Michael Mitchell, John Hynes, Bernard Moran, Patrick M. Flannelly, Jeremiah Mulvey, P.F. Flannery, Danial Dunne, Thomas McDonnell, Michael Gibbons, John R. Flannery, P.J. Feeney, Thomas P. Moran, John McKeon, Laurence Flannelly, John Hoban, Kate McHugh, Ellen Cunningham, Michael Kelly and John Chambers.
Messers. Kelly, Timlin and Gavin did not issue any election address but the Castlebar Traders Council published an appeal in support of Mr. Gavin, signed by Patrick Munnelly, president, Martin Cawley, vice-president, John Hoban, treasurer, Patrick McDonagh, secretary, and the following committee members - John Malley, Richard Staunton, Denis Dunne, David Nolan, Thomas Hickey, Michael Dunne and John Conway.
The contest proved to be a close one and the result of the poll for the four vacancies was: Mr. James Gavin, 283 votes (elected), Mr. Patrick Timlin, 278 votes (elected), Mr. John Kelly, 268 votes (elected), Mr. Thomas J. Loftus, 256 votes (elected), and Mr. Michael Horan, 200 votes (defeated).
The Connaught Telegraph mentioned that although the contest lay between members of the United Irish League, it was a heartening sign to see that the candidate representing the interests of Labour had headed the poll. “Thank God, the bad times of the past have changed a little - and that we see at last the once despised working classes rapidly taking their places on the various public boards of our county.
“As the battle is now over, we suggest that the victorious and defeated shake hands and be once more true friends to each other and by all means in their power try to raise the struggling masses of our oppressed peoples to a position long denied them by alien landlords and an alien Government.”