Denis Kilbride

Denis Kilbride (September 1848 – 24 October 1924) was an Irish nationalist politician, who as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party represented South Kerry (1887–1895), and North Galway (1895–1900) and South Kildare (1903–1918) as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

He was educated at Clongowes Wood.^[1] He was evicted, along with other subtenants of the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, was evicted from his 500-acre (2.0 km²) holding during the Luggacurran evictions, Stradbally, County Laois, in March 1887.^[2]

Kilbride's rent was 760 pounds a year, although the holding was valued at only 450. Although he was a large tenant, he and other tenants adopted the Plan of Campaign.^[3]

To raise awareness of the evictions, Kilbride travelled with William O'Brien to Canada, where the Marquess of Lansdowne was governor general, and the USA.^[4]

In August 1902, he was charged under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 with incitement to murder - during the course of a speech against an eviction - of Major-General Devinish Meares.^[5] That December, he was found guilty and sentenced to eight months' imprisonment.^[6] After the passing of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1908, some of this holding, but not his house, was returned to him.^[7]

He died at his residence in Luggacurran in 1924 aged 76 and was buried in Clopook cemetery.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Denis Kilbide
• "Kilbride, Dennis" . Thom's Irish Who's Who . Dublin: Alexander Thom and Son Ltd. 1923. p. 125  – via Wikisource.