What's been named after politicians and political figures in Kerry?

Kit Ahern

Following the recent dedication of the municipal centre and public library in Killorglin to the late former TD, Timothy 'Chub' O'Connor, here's a list I have cobbled together of roads, housing estates, public buildings and other pieces of infrastructure which are named after politicians or political figures from Kerry.

Any other suggestions welcome to politicsinkerry@gmail.com


Patrick Connor-Scarteen Inner Relief Road, Kenmare (Patrick Connor TD, FG)

Dan Spring Road, Tralee (Dan Spring TD, Lab)

Cahill’s Park in Tralee (Patrick Cahill TD, SF)

Michael Moynihan

Kit Ahern Road, Ballybunion (Senator Kit Ahern, FF)

Michael Moynihan Roundabout, Killarney (Michael Moynihan TD, Lab)

Healy-Rae Park, Kilgarvan (Jackie Healy-Rae TD, Ind)

Austin Stack Park, Tralee (Austin Stack TD, SF)

Stack’s Villa’s, Tralee (Austin Stack TD, SF)

Johnny Connor Roundabout, Tralee (Johnny Connor TD, CnaP)  

Thomas McEllistrim Bridge (Thomas McEllistrim Jnr, TD, FF)

Timothy ‘Chub’ O’Connor Municipal Centre, Killorglin (Timothy O’Connor TD, FF)

 

Ashe Memorial Hall, Tralee (Thomas Ashe, IRB)

Johnny Connor

Connolly Park, Tralee (James Connolly)                          

Bill Kinnerk Road, Tralee (Cllr Bill Kinnerk, Lab)

O’Connell Memorial Church, Caherciveen (Daniel O’Connell MP)

Casement Station, Tralee (Roger Casement)

Casement’s Avenue, Tralee (Roger Casement)

Kerry's first ever Clann na Poblachta TD

John (Johnny) Connor, sometimes using O’Connor, was the first Clann na Poblachta TD ever elected in Kerry and, apart from his daughter, Kathleen,  who succeeded him, is the only Dáil representative the party had in Kerry. He dropped the ‘O’ from his name to ensure his name moved further up the ballot paper.

Born in Farmer’s Bridge near Tralee, Connor was an Old IRA man who played a prominent role in the War of Independence. He was involved in numerous ambushes and skirmishes in the late 1910s and early 1920s such as the attacks on police barracks in Gortatlea, Brosna and Scartaglin. He was jailed in Tralee and Mountjoy for his Civil War involvement.

Johnny Connor

A farmer and an auctioneer, Connor emigrated to Chicago and returned home in 1930. He married Margaret Corkery of Ashill. He joined Clann na Poblachta and was elected to Kerry County Council in October 1948. He was one of four Clann councillors elected in what was the new party’s first local authority electoral outing. He had contested the general election of February 1948 in Kerry North in the year his party helped form the first inter-party government under Taoiseach John A Costello. He did not win a seat however.

Connor also stood in 1951 but it was 1954 before he made it to the Dáil, when he took the fourth and final seat with 5,003 votes. His republican background and his advocacy of the needs of the farming community in Kerry were instrumental in his success.

After just over a year in the Dáil however, tragedy struck when Connor was killed in a car accident on 11 December 1955 as he was returning to Tralee from Dublin, having attended a meeting of the Clann na Poblachta national executive.  The accident occurred at Ballyduff on the Castleisland to Abbeyfeale road, where a memorial to him still stands.

His party leader, Sean MacBride delivered the graveside oration at his funeral days later. Mr Connor’s death prompted the first ever by-election held in the constituency of Kerry North, at which he was succeeded by his 21 year-old daughter, Kathleen O’Connor (Fitzgerald).

The 11 men from Kerry who have served as Ministers of State

No female TD from the county has ever served in a junior ministry, or a senior one, for that matter. The following are the eleven men from Kerry who have been Parliamentary Secretaries or Ministers of State. Just four of them went on to hold a seat at the Cabinet table:

John Marcus O’Sullivan (CnaG, Kerry)

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education 1924-1926

Eamonn Kissane (FF, Kerry North)

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands 1943
Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence 1944-1948


Dan Spring (Lab, Kerry North)

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment 1956-1957

Michael Begley (FG, Kerry South)

Dan and Dick Spring, both of whom
served as junior ministers

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government 1973-1975
Minister of State at Department of Finance and Department of Defence 1975-1977
Minister of State at Department of Tourism, Trade and Commerce 1981-1982

John O’Leary (FF, Kerry South)

Minister of State at Department of the Environment 1977-1979

Thomas McEllistrim (FF, Kerry North)

Minister of State at Department of Finance 1979-1981
Minister of State at Department of Forestry 1982

Michael Moynihan (Lab, Kerry South)

Minister of State at Department of Tourism, Trade and Commerce 1983-1987

Dick Spring (Lab, Kerry North)

Minister of State at Department of Justice (Law Reform) 1981-1982

John O’Donoghue (FF, Kerry South)

Minister of State at Department of Finance 1991-1992

Jimmy Deenihan (FG, Kerry North)

Minister of State at Department of Agriculture 1994-1997
Minister of State at Department of An Taoiseach 2014-

Brendan Griffin (FG, Kerry South/Kerry)
Minister of State at Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport 2016 - 

(Note: The position of Parliamentary Secretary was replaced with that of Minister of State in 1978) 

Kerry Cabinet ministers since 1919

Kerry cabinet ministers since 1919

Austin Stack (SF)

John Marcus O'Sullivan

Minister for Home Affairs 1921-22

Fionán Lynch (SF/CnaG)

Minister for Education 1922, Minister Without Portfolio 1922, Minister for Fisheries 1922-30, Minister for Lands and Fisheries 1930-32

John Marcus O’Sullivan (CnaG)

Minister for Education 1926-32

Dick Spring (Lab)

Tánaiste & Minister for Environment 1982-83, Tánaiste & Minister for Energy 1983-87, Tánaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs 1993-97

John O’Donoghue (FF) 1997 – 2007

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997-2002, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism 2002-2007

Jimmy Deenihan (FG) 2011 - 2014

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht