John O'Dowd (13 February[1] 1856[2] – 26 October 1937[3]) was Irish Nationalist Member of Parliament for North Sligo, March-September 1900, and for South Sligo, 1900-18.
He was born in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo[1] but emigrated to the USA at an early age, returning in the later 1870s[4] to Bunninadden,[3] Sligo, where he was a farmer[5] and lived for the rest of his life.[1] He was connected with Irish political movements from 1880 onwards and in 1881-82 was imprisoned as a ‘suspect’ under the then coercion legislation.[3]
He was a veteran of the Land League and active in the United Irish League.[6] He was associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood after his return from the USA.[7] For many years he was chairman of Sligo County Council and his son later became accountant to the Council.[3]
He was elected unopposed to represent North Sligo on 7 March 1900 following the resignation of Bernard Collery, and transferred unopposed to his native South Sligo constituency at the general election later that year. He held this seat unopposed through successive general elections until December 1918, when he was defeated by the Sinn Fein candidate Alexander McCabe by 9,113 votes to 1,988.[8] O’Dowd had made representations on McCabe’s behalf when the latter had been tried, and acquitted, for possession of explosives.[9] Maume (1999) states that O’Dowd was accused of corruption and of organising violence against Sinn Fein supporters during the North Leitrim by-election of 1908, and that he was himself beaten up and severely injured by Sinn Fein supporters on polling day in 1918.[10]
As a local authority representative, O’Dowd was a member of the Irish Convention of 1917-18, which unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile North and South Ireland.[5]
He published a volume of poems, Lays of South Sligo, and contributed poems to T. D. Sullivan’s Weekly News.[3]
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Lays of South Sligo: A Few Wild Flowers of National Poetry, Dublin, Gill, 1888; 2nd ed. 1889