BY THOMAS FITZPATRICK, PUBLISHED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE IRISH SATIRICAL MAGAZINE “THE LEPRACAUN”, MARCH 1908 EDITION. Dolan depicted prior to the election as a vicious fighting dog straining at the leash, and after the election as a battered, bruised mutt, consigned to a Dublin Corporation refuse barrow, the barrow attended by the two O’Kellys and Arthur Griffith, the cartoonist, Fitzpatrick, observing caustically in before and after asides: "It's picking up money backin' this yere pup" - "He'd a won de money if it hadn't been for de odder dog".
In its original early 20th century glazed, ebonised frame, by M.H. Gill & Son, O’Connell Street, Dublin. Good condition, the image bright and clear, a rare survivor as a piece of ephemera and an interesting humourous insight into Sinn Fein’s first attempt to win a seat in a parliamentary election. 10 inches (25cm) x 12.5 inches (32.5cm) horizontal approx.
Print accompanied by various copied research.
Charles Joseph Dolan (1881-1963), businessman, politician and lawyer, was born 18 August 1881 in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, the son of John Dolan, a general merchant. After receiving primary education privately, he attended St Patrick's college, Cavan, where he won a gold medal in the Irish intermediate examinations, subsequently studied at St Patrick's seminary, Maynooth (1898–1901), but decided against entering the catholic priesthood, and left the institution in June 1901 with a licentiate in philosophy. After undertaking further studies at the Royal University Wren's, London, Dolan returned to Manorhamilton, where he assumed management of the family merchandising business. In February 1906 he was elected to Parliament unopposed in a by-election for Leitrim North as the United Irish League (UIL) candidate. Dolan’s staunch ‘Irish Ireland’ beliefs were at variance with the Irish parliamentary party (IPP) mainstream views, and he became rapidly disillusioned by the general indifference of British MPs to Irish issues, adopting the radical policy outlined by Arthur Griffith in “The Resurrection of Hungary”: the withdrawal of Irish MPs from Westminster, formation of an Irish abstentionist assembly, and the vigorous promotion of Irish domestic industrial development, Dolan resigned the IPP whip, and declared his intent to resign his seat and contest the ensuing by-election on an abstentionist, “Hungarian Policy” platform. Ceasing to attend at Westminster, he delayed his resignation until January 1908 to allow sufficient time to familiarise the Leitrim electorate with the abstentionist agenda. Dolan's tactics were the catalyst for the merger of Griffith's National Council and the Sinn Féin League of Bulmer Hobson , and also induced both Griffith and Hobson to modify their suspicions of electioneering, and instead actively support Dolan's electoral campaign advocating Sinn Féin principles. Assisted by Sinn Féin organiser Seán Mac Diarmada , a Leitrim native, who acted as his election agent, Dolan launched a propagandist newspaper, the “Leitrim Guardian”, which ran for thirty-one issues (July 1907–February 1908), and organised eleven Sinn Féin branches in the Leitrim constituency. By emphasising the movement's policies on industrial development he attracted considerable interest and support. Standing against the UIL's Francis Meehan, a county councillor, local branch president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and his next-door neighbour in Manorhamilton, Dolan drew many prominent figures, including Aarthur Griffith, Bulmer Hobson, George Gavan Duffy and Anna Parnell to Leitrim to speak in his support. The campaign was marked by bitter invective and violence and intimidation were frequent, more so on the part of UIL activists than Sinn Féin. Anna Parnell was pelted with rubbish, and Dolan himself was involved in a polling-station brawl on election day (21 February 1908). Defeated with 1,157 votes to Meehan's 3,103, Dolan and Sinn Féin claimed a moral victory for their fledgling movement and its novel policy in a constituency that had long been a UIL stronghold. The first Sinn Féin parliamentary candidate, Dolan personally originated the tactic subsequently adopted by other Irish abstentionist parties that followed in his footsteps; of testing popular support by contesting elections for seats that they had no intention of representing. The Leitrim North election contributed to a significant rise in Sinn Féin's profile, resulting in a sixfold increase in affiliated branches by 1909, and the launch of a Sinn Féin League of America (August 1908). When Sinn Féin triumphed at the 1918 general election, Dolan's younger brother, James N. Dolan, took the Leitrim North seat for Sinn Féin with an overwhelming majority.
After the Leitrim by-election, Charles Dolan served on the Sinn Féin national executive (1908–9) before going to America to study boot manufacture, with a view to establishing a factory on his return, both as a demonstration of Sinn Féin’s self-help strategy and to invigorate the flagging family business. After two years working in the shoe industry in St Louis, Missouri (1909–11), Dolan returned to Ireland for fifteen months but failed to launch the projected factory. Returning permanently to America, he taught history and languages at St Louis University while studying law, commencing practice in 1917. His legal career included two tenures as St Louis associate city counsellor (1921–8 and 1942–60). In 1921 he was secretary of the Missouri branch of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. In the USA he aligned himself politically with Republican party, on the basis that its economic policies were in line with those of Sinn Féin (protectionism).
The Lepracaun was a monthly satirical magazine. Established in 1905, it ran for 10 years, during which time it made a name for itself as the cartoonist wing of the nationalist movement. The Lepracaun was founded by, and largely the work of, Thomas Fitzpatrick, then one of the leading political cartoonists in Ireland, although today better known as a grandfather of the artist Jim Fitzpatrick, who produced the Celtic art, Thin Lizzy album covers, and the famous Che Guevara poster.
Thomas Fitzpatrick (1860-1912), cartoonist, illuminator and magazine publisher, initially trained at the Cork colour printing and publishing firm Messrs Guy. On completing his apprenticeship he moved to Dublin, where he worked as a lithographer and began contributing cartoons to the press, going on to be one of the most prominent cartoonist for nationalist papers. In addition to founding “The Lepracaun” he contributed to the satirical magazine “Pat”, the “Weekly Freeman”, the “Irish Fogaro” the “Irish Emerald”, “The Nation”, “Punch”, the “New York Gaelic America” and was chief cartoonist for the “National Press”.
Alderman Thomas Kelly (1868-1942) was a founder member of Sinn Fein. A Dublin City Council alderman, he was elected as a Sinn Fein MP for the Dublin St Stephens’s Green constituency in the 1918 general election.
Sean T. O’Kelly (1882-1966) joined Sinn Fein in 1905, one of its founding members, and in later life was President of Ireland, 1945-59.
Arthur Griffith (1871-1922) founded Sinn Fein in 1905, launching the “Sinn Fein Policy” at the party’s first annual convention on 28 November 1905. Subsequently president of Ireland 10th January 1922 to 12th August 1922.
