P. A. McHugh
Patrick Aloysius McHugh (1858 – 30 May 1909), also known as M’Hugh, was Irish Nationalist Member of Parliament for North Leitrim, 1892-1906, and for North Sligo from 1906 until his death in 1909. Born at Annagh, Glenfarne, Leitrim, he was the son of a tenant farmer, Peter M’Hugh of Leitrim, and of Anne McDermott. He entered a Catholic seminary, but left without taking orders and taught science and classics in the Athlone and Sligo Intermediate schools. In 1882 he married Mary Harte, daughter of a J. Harte of Sligo. She died in 1894. He became owner of The Sligo Champion in 1885. He was Mayor of Sligo in 1888, and again in 1895-98 and 1900. He was elected to Sligo County Council on its establishment in 1899 and became its first chairman. He was imprisoned following conviction for ‘seditious libel’ on account of an article on Jury Packing in Sligo published in his newspaper.[1]
He was elected MP for North Leitrim as an Anti-Parnellite Nationalist in 1892, winning comfortably over the Unionist candidate with 87% of the vote. He retained the seat unopposed in 1895. At this election he also challenged the Parnellite Willie Redmond in East Clare, losing by only 57 votes in a poll of over 6,500. In 1900, standing for the reunited Irish Parliamentary Party, he was again challenged in North Leitrim by a Unionist, but again won comfortably, with 91% of the vote. In 1906 he was returned unopposed both for North Leitrim and for North Sligo, and chose to sit for the latter constituency, which he represented until his death in 1909.[2]
Notes
References
- Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees (1978). Who’s Who of British Members of Parliament, Vol.2 1886-1918. Sussex: Harvester Press.
- Brian M. Walker, ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy.