Thomas D'Arcy McGee

Event

1994-05-15

01:11:49

Padraig O’Siadhail gives a lecture titled “Thomas D’arcy McGee” at the B.I.S Irish Heritage Lecture Series. In his lecture O'Siadhail talks about the life of D’arcy McGee being one entangled with politics. Although he was a brilliant poet, novelist and had charm Thomas D’arcy McGee’s political was not triumphant in the end as he was power hungry, continuously switched parties and lost many of his Irish supporters. He eventually was assassinated, but still remains a hallmark in Canadian politics.

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Held by Benevolent Irish Society

The lecture is in progress when the recording begins. The speaker uses the book “The Ardent Exile: The Life and Times of Thomas D’Arcy McGee” by Josephine Phelan to explain why Thomas D’Arcy McGee would be considered an outsider of the Young Ireland movement in Ireland.
The speaker gives reasons for why the phrase “the odd one” describes McGee. To show the contrast between McGee’s physical description and his speaking ability the speaker quotes from the article “Thomas D’Arcy McGee: Irish Founder of the Canadian Nation” by William G Davis. The speaker also refers to T. P. Slattery’s writings and photos of McGee.
The speaker describes McGee as a frustrated scholar entangled in politics. As described by Josephine Phelan, politics took first place in McGee’s life but was not his first love. McGee’s wife, Mary Catherine from Wicklow, basically raised their children alone. McGee was elected as an independent by Montreal’s Irish voters. The speaker quotes “True Witness” newspaper’s editor George Edward Clerk’s description of voters' expectations.
The speaker explains that McGee’s political life involved being a member of different political parties giving the impression that he was power hungry. However, the speaker suggests that McGee’s change in allegiance was due to his desire to be independent and therefore supporting the party that could further his cause. The speaker reiterates that McGee was naive when it came to politics.
The speaker states that many see McGee as an idealist rather than a pragmatist. The speaker quotes Robin B Burns’ article “From Freedom to Tolerance: D'Arcy McGee the First Martyr” describing how McGee was not perceived by others as a politician. The speaker continues by disagreeing with Burns who argued that McGee was a politician.
To examine the question if McGee was ambitious, the speaker reviews McGee’s work in the US when he first arrived in 1842 and when he arrived a second time after the failed 1848 uprising of the Young Ireland. In the end McGee was disillusioned with the US and had found no success in advancing the position of Irish immigrants. In 1855, Charles Gavin Duffy asked McGee to return to Ireland but McGee declined.
The speaker explains that McGee did visit Ireland around 1855, where he met family in Wexford and colleagues in Dublin. Back in the US and later in Canada, McGee continued to publish about Ireland and the Irish, but showed no inclination to return to Ireland, which was thought to be unusual for an Irish patriot. In the same vein was McGee’s disagreement with Young Ireland’s John Mitichell’s attempts in 1854 to cultivate anti-British feelings among Irish Americans.
The speaker reads from McGee’s July 1856 letter to the Catholic Bishop of Toronto describing McGee’s desire for a new life having had enough of Ireland, Irish politics and the US. McGee's move to Canada was physical and psychological as he became a Canadian nationalist. The speaker quotes McGee’s proposal for assimilating all of British North America.
The speaker states that it is easy to see why many of McGee’s Irish Catholic supporters were anxious about his ideas of political integration and cultural assimilation when the Irish were still facing inequality. The speaker believes that McGee’s vision of integration necessitated breaking ties with Ireland’s activities and opposing the Fenians. The speaker quotes McGee's description of Fenians.
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A break in the tape. The speaker continues to read and explains McGee’s statement about the Fenians in the US. The statement focussed on McGee explaining why the lack of integration resulted in the American Irish immigrants actively supporting Ireland's political activities.
The speaker explains that around 1865 there were rumors of the Fenians planning to invade Canada. McGee opposed Canadian Irish getting involved. The speaker notes at this time McGee created confusion by opposing the Fenian’s acts of rebellion, but also opposing the repeal of the Act of Union through parliamentary procedures. Similarly his ideas supported an independent Canada, but not an independent Ireland.
The speaker believes that by the 1860’s McGee no longer understood Ireland. Also, the speaker claims McGee showed his political naivety by forgetting that Canadian Irish voters were still connected to Ireland. By 1867, McGee was being disowned by the Irish voters and was no longer considered a credible spokesman for Irish Canadians by the Federal government. Thus McGee was denied a cabinet post.
The speaker says that besides his career going downhill, McGee was suffering from depression, illness and alcoholism. The speaker relates two anecdotes about John A MacDonald, McGee and their drinking habits.
The speaker feels that by 1868, McGee’s political career seemed finished and that his assassination on April 7, 1868 cut short his life but probably not his political career. The speaker reviews the ramifications of McGee’s death for both McGee’s legacy and for Irish Canadians.
Quoting T.P. Slattery, the speaker reviews the contradictory evidence concerning Patrick Whelan being charged with McGee’s death. The speaker also notes there was a miscarriage of justice in hanging Whelan due to his unfair trial. The speaker describes how other groups used McGee’s death to malign the Irish. Additionally, the nature of McGee’s death has made it hard to critically assess McGee’s political career.
To show that the legend of McGee continues today the speaker tells about a meeting he had with an Ottawa lawyer who claimed it was his relative who was the real killer of McGee.
The speaker suggests that none of McGee's many labels get to his core. The speaker questions if now McGee’s contributions can be precisely assessed. He also wonders if today’s fully integrated Canadian Irish are questioning the cost. The speaker feels that McGee would approve of Irish Canadians, with their present strong sense of identity and security, rediscovering their ancestral ties to Ireland.
Lecture ends with applause followed by questions and answers.
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