Making an Irish Free State City – Remembering Sir Henry O’Shea
August 1926 coincided with the announcement of the death of Sir Henry O’Shea, who passed away at his residence called Old Court in Rochestown on 6 August. Henry’s wife Bridget and Henry’s four sons and six daughters were in mourning. His death was also the end of an era connected with Home Rule and nationalist politics in the city.
The Cork Examiner describes him as a self-made man and that the “the commercial life of Cork is all the poor for his demise”. He was the son of the late Michael O’Shea, Newmarket in North Cork. Henry was born in 1858 and educated privately. Early in life he proceeded to America, where within a comparative short time, he made a great deal of money.
Returning to Cork, in the 1880s Henry established a well-known bakery firm, having branches at 5 St Patrick’s Street and at 38-39 South Main Street. The branch building on South Main Street was replaced in time by a nightclub in the 1980s who chose Sir Henry’s at its name.
The Cork Examiner describes Henry as an “unflinching nationalist”. He was a sterling supporter of the Irish Parliamentary Party and was an esteemed friend of many of its leaders. Every year he was one of the most prominent figures at the John Redmond anniversary celebrations at Wexford.
In the Cork city municipal elections of 1898, Henry was first elected a representative of the Centre Ward for the Corporation of Cork. Three years later he was selected by his colleagues to fill the position of high sheriff of the city.
In preparation for the Cork International Exhibition of 1902-03, its principal promoter, Lord Mayor Sir Edward Fitzgerald had in Henry’s role as High Sheriff an enthusiastic and loyal supporter. To collect funds for the exhibition, Henry even formed a deputation who travelled to all parts of the country from Derry to Bantry to encourage participation in the exhibition and to ask Irish industries to take a stall. The efforts that Henry made led to the success of the event.
In 1908 Henry was deputed on behalf of the Corporation of Cork to attend the Tuberculosis Congress, held in Washington, USA. On his return he submitted to his colleagues a valuable report from the proceedings there and how tuberculosis was treated worldwide.
Henry had a span as lord mayor of Cork of over five years. He was elected Lord Mayor of Cork on 16 January 1911 to serve the remaining nine days of office of his predecessor, Thomas O’Donovan, who was declared disqualified by the High Court. At the election of lord mayor in January 1912, Cllr James Simcox was elected, but he only retained the position to 15 April 1912, when he retired. On the 19 April 1912 Sir Henry was elected lord mayor through a nomination of the Nationalist Party for the balance of the year but was also elected through Nationalist political control of the chamber for the three succeeding years 1913, 1914 and 1915.
Across the Cork Examiner newspaper archives, Henry championed interests in a myriad of national and municipal interests. In April 1912, he had the honour of seconding the resolution proposed by John Redmond, adopting the Home Rule Bill at a National Convention held in Dublin.
The legislation aimed to give Ireland self-governance with an independent parliament, though it faced fierce opposition from Ulster Unionists and a complex path through the British Parliament.
Henry took a prominent part in the movement to have Queenstown (now Cobh) continue as a port of call for American liners, and went on more than one deputation to London, in connection with that issue.
In early December 1912, Henry wrote to his Nationalist party leader John Redmond in the House of Commons regarding a cattle embargo on 1,000 cattle and 4,000 sheep from Cork being held up in the UK. The animals were intended for immediate slaughter at Birkenhead. John Redmond wrote back noting that “matter is receiving prompt and careful attention, Everything possible is being done”.
The matter was resolved. Indeed, on 27 January 1913, the Cork Examiner published a note by the Irish Trade Association congratulating the members of the Corporation of Cork on the re-election of Alderman Henry O’Shea as lord mayor. The association noted that it was greatly indebted to the lord mayor “for at all times of stress and trouble, when the cattle trade was in great difficulties”.
In 1915 at Henry’s re-election as lord mayor, his colleague Cllr Daniel Horgan made reference to the support of Belgian refugees arising from the Great War.
“The city, and also the action of the Lady Mayoress, were beyond all praise...his Lordship gave valuable aid in the inauguration of the fund for the relief of distress caused by the war – a fund which now distributed no less than £350 per week in the city”.
Cllr Hart noted that during Henry’s mayoralty, the Corporation completed many schemes of improvement and reform. They had spent over £50.000 in improving the “highways and byeways” of Cork.
During the 1915 re-election as well, a Cllr Lane protested against the election of Henry O’Shea year after year of “any one man to the position”. He noted the office of lord mayor should be the “ambition of every member of the council to acquire” but his cries fell on deaf ears due to political control.
Towards the end of Henry’s final few days as lord mayor in January 1916, he was knighted for his political work by King George V. Henry was among the recipients of New Year Honours at Buckingham Palace. In the same month Henry passed the mayoralty chain to his fellow nationalist councillor colleague Thomas C Butterfield.
In 1917, Henry was one of the key local politicians in securing the Ford tractor factory for Cork. He worked on the contract with a small number of councillor colleagues with Ford representative Richard Woodhead for the sale of the Cork City Park Racecourse, a portion of the Marina, and the plot of ground adjoining Victoria Quay, for the sum of £11,000.
Henry retired at the 1920 local elections, but remained in the public eye attending municipal events until his death on 6 August 1926.