John Pius Boland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament forSouth Kerry | |
| In office October 1900 – December 1918 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Joseph Farrell |
| Succeeded by | Fionán Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1870-09-16)16 September 1870 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 17 March 1958(1958-03-17) (aged 87) London, England |
| Political party | Irish Parliamentary Party |
| Spouse | Eileen Moloney (1876–1937) |
| Children | 1 son, 5 daughters, includingHonor andBridget Boland |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Politician and Tennis Player |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | ||
| Men'stennis | ||
| RepresentingUnited Kingdom | ||
 | 1896 Athens | Singles |
Representinga Mixed team | ||
| 1896 Athens | Doubles |
John Mary Pius Boland (16 September 1870 – 17 March 1958) was anIrish Nationalist politician, and Member of Parliament (MP) in theHouse of Commons of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of theIrish Parliamentary Party forSouth Kerry from 1900 to 1918. He was also noteworthy as agold medallisttennis player at the first modern Olympics.[1]
Boland was born at 135Capel Street, Dublin, to Patrick Boland (1840–1877), businessman, and Mary Donnelly.[2] Following the death of his mother in 1882, he was placed with his six siblings under the guardianship of his uncleNicholas Donnelly, auxiliary bishop of Dublin.[3]
Boland was educated at two private Catholic schools, one Irish, the second English, and both of whose existence and evolution were influenced byJohn Henry (later Cardinal) Newman – theCatholic University School, Dublin, andThe Oratory School, Birmingham (since re-located to near Reading) where he became head boy. His secondary education in the two schools either side of the Irish Sea helped give him the foundation and understanding to play an influential role in the politics of Great Britain and Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century, when he was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party which pursued constitutional Home Rule.
In 1892 he graduated with a BA from London University. He had studied for a semester inBonn, Germany, where he was a member of Bavaria Bonn, a student fraternity that is member of theCartellverband. Boland studied law atChrist Church, Oxford, graduating with a BA in 1896 and MA in 1901; althoughcalled to the Bar in 1897, he never practised.[3]
He was the first Olympic champion in tennis forGreat Britain and Ireland at thefirst modern Olympics, which took place inAthens in 1896.
Boland visited his friend Thrasyvoulos Manos in Athens during the Olympics, and Manos, a member of the organising committee, entered Boland in the tennis tournament. Boland promptly won the singles tournament, defeatingFriedrich Traun of Germany in the first round,Evangelos Rallis of Greece in the second,Konstantinos Paspatis of Greece in the semifinals, andDionysios Kasdaglis of Greece in the final.
Boland then entered the doubles event with Traun, the German runner whom he had defeated in the first round of the singles. Together, they won the doubles event. They defeatedAristidis andKonstantinos Akratopoulos of Greece in the first round, had a bye in the semifinals, and defeatedDemetrios Petrokokkinos of Greece and D. Kasdaglis in the final. When the Union Flag and the German flag were run up the flagpole to honour Boland and Traun's victory, Boland pointed out to the man hoisting the flags that he was Irish, adding "It [the Irish flag]'s a gold harp on a green ground, we hope." The officials agreed to have an Irish flag prepared.
Following a visit to Kerry he became concerned about the lack of literacy among the native population, he also had a keen interest in the Irish language.
His patriotic stand was well received in nationalist circles in Ireland. This and a lifelong friendship withJohn Redmond gained for him an invitation to stand as a candidate for the Irish Parliamentary Party in the safe seat ofSouth Kerry, which he held from1900 to1918. He was unopposed in the general elections of 1900 and 1906, and the first of 1910; in the second election of 1910 he was challenged by a local man, T. B. Cronin, who stood as an independent nationalist in the interest ofWilliam O'Brien. Boland stood down at the 1918 general election.[2]
In 1908, Boland was appointed a member of the commission for the foundation of theNational University of Ireland.
From 1926 to 1947, he was general secretary of theCatholic Truth Society.
He received a papal knighthood, becoming aKnight of St. Gregory in recognition for his work in Education, and in 1950 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws by the NUI.
He married Eileen Moloney (1876–1937) at SS Peter and Edward, Palace-street,Westminster, on 22 October 1902, the daughter ofPatrick Moloney.[3][4]
They had one son and five daughters; his daughterHonor Crowley succeeded her husbandFrederick Crowley upon his death sitting asFianna Fáil TD for South Kerry from 1945 until 1966, when she died. His daughterBridget Boland was a playwright who notably wroteThe Prisoner and co-wrote the script forGaslight, and, among other books, co-authoredOld Wives' Lore for Gardeners with her sister, Maureen Boland.[5][6]
He died at his home in London on St. Patrick's Day 1958.
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSouth Kerry 1900–1918 | Succeeded by |
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