Timothy Quill

Timothy Quill (9 May 1901 – 10 June 1960) was an Irish Labour Party politician,[1] farmer[2] and a figure in the history of the cooperative movement in early to mid 20th-century Ireland. He was a founder of the City of Cork Co-operative Society (also serving as the society's secretary),[3] and was the editor of The Cork Co-Operator publication.[4] He was also manager and secretary of the Cork Co-operative Bakery Society.[5][6] Quill was a member of the South Cork Board of Public Assistance.[2] He was an organiser for the Labour Party in Cork, a trade unionist and one of a number of early Labour parliamentarians whom promoted Christian socialism. Quill was Baby of the 5th Dail[7][8] and was also elected to both Cork Corporation and Cork County Council in 1942.

For the American physician, see Timothy E. Quill.
Timothy Quill
Portrait of Quill taken in January 1930
Teachta Dála
In office
June 1927 – September 1927
ConstituencyCork North
Cork City Councillor
In office
1936–1950
Cork County Councillor
In office
1925–1934
In office
1942–1945
Personal details
Born(1901-05-09)9 May 1901
Clondrohid, Macroom, County Cork, Ireland
Died10 June 1960(1960-06-10) (aged 59)
Blarney, County Cork, Ireland
Resting placeSt. Finbarr's Cemetery, Cork
Political partyLabour Party
Spouse(s)Mary McCarthy
Children6
ResidenceCounty Cork
OccupationCo-operator, agriculturalist

Early life

Timothy Quill was born to Daniel and Mary Quill in Clondrohid, Macroom, County Cork, on 9 May 1901. He had five siblings in total, all brothers.[9] Initially living in Macroom,[10][11] he moved to Cork City with his wife and young family, and in 1936 was living near Victoria Cross.[12][13] Before his time in the co-operative movement, he was involved in the insurance business.[12][14]

Political career

Branch Secretary and District Executive

Quill began his Labour career as Secretary of the Macroom Labour Branch and District Executive. He was district also a union activist from an early age, and by the 1930s was involved in the councils of the Labour Party.[2]

1927 elections

June 1927 general election

After the 1923 general election, the sitting members of Dáil Éireann in the then recently created Cork North constituency were Daniel Corkery (Republican), Daniel Vaughan (Farmers’ Party) and Thomas Nagle (Labour).

Quill was a councillor on Cork County Council at the time, having been elected in 1925. It has been said that he was recruited into the party by Labour politician and fellow Clondrohid native T.J Murphy.[15]

Quill was 26 years old going into his first general election on 9 June 1927 and was one of 44 Labour candidates in total. Quill was elected as a Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North constituency at the June 1927 general election, receiving 18% of first preference votes.[16][17][18][19][20] Slogans, such as 'Be Labour This Time' and 'Away With Slums & Mud Cabins' were featured on his election posters.[21][22] Quill won 4,165 first preference votes (17.9%) finishing second place to Daniel Corkery and taking the last seat in the constituency after Vaughan received transfers from his running mate, Daniel Forde. He was the youngest member of the 5th Dail.[7][8]

He was an opponent of the 1927 Public Safety Act,[23] and spoke against it during a debate on the bill in August 1927;

"I believe the power given to the Executive Council is a power of dictatorship for the time being. Dictatorship in the case of life and death and dictatorship by any Executive Council for the time being is a proposition for which no Parliament in the year 1927 could reasonably stand."

— [23]

Coincidentally, the Public Safety Act resulted in the conviction of Herbert Mitchell from Kerry Pike, the father of one of his future daughters-in-law, whom was sentenced to 12 months of hard labour in 1929 for being a member of the IRA.[24] The IRA at this time had fewer than 2,000 members, and remained as a perceived threat to the Free State by Cumann na nGaedheal in the late 1920s, which largely encouraged the introduction of the Act.

On 5 July 1927, in the committee on finance regarding old age pensions, he opposed the methods and harsh manner of pensions officers.[25] Quill was criticised in a reader's letter to the Irish Independent on 7 July 1927. In a letter to the editor titled 'Plight of the Farmers', the writer took issue with a speech by Quill in the Dail, saying;

"I noticed that Mr. Quill T.D, stated the people who advocated the abolition of the bonus were the people who were getting 200pc more for their produce than they were before the war. I presume he was referring to farmers' produce. I wonder why the Farmers' Deputies let such a misleading statement pass unchallenged. I do not know Mr. Quill, but I gather from his statement that he must be a person who knows nothing about farmers' markets or fairs, or that he wants to create the wrong impression in the minds of the public who are not interested in farming or knows nothing, or very little about their present impoverished means".[26]

In a meeting of the Executive of the Co. Cork Farmers' Union at the Imperial Hotel in Cork, the Chairman said that notice should be taken before they commenced of the 'terrible tragedy' that was the assassination of Kevin O'Higgins, which he went on to describe as one of the 'outstanding members of the Executive Council'. In that same meeting, the statement made by Quill was discussed. Farmers' Party T.D David O'Gorman stated that he contradicted the statement there and then. Quill's statement was again referred to as no contradiction by O'Gorman during the debates had appeared in the press. Gorman replied with "You need not be uneasy about it. It was simply laughed at".

September 1927 general election

Quill lost his seat at the September 1927 general election. Daniel Corkery topped the poll under the Fianna Fáil banner with a 30% share of first preference votes, followed closely by new Cumann na nGaedheal candidate and rival Daniel O'Leary, taking a 27.4% share of first preferences. Quill received 4,123 first preference votes. Despite receiving only 42 fewer votes than he did in June of that year, his percentage share dropped to 16%. As a result of this, he only served three months as a TD. The number of Labour candidates was almost halved, down from 44 to 28. T. D. Keating of the IT&GWU said that it was regrettable that Quill was not re-elected.[7]

Speaking on the heavy defeat for Labour in the September 1927 election, T. J. Murphy regretted that the party had lost men like Tom Johnson, who, "because of his industry and ability, would receive a place of honour in any Parliament in tho world, and young men of tho ability and honesty of Mr. Quill, who had been defeated in North Cork by a mere handful of votes, after making a marvellous fight against a combination of influences".[27]

Campaigning

In 1927 he stated that working people must organise and while we had political freedom, he argued that not enough was being done with this freedom. He stated that nothing had been done in regards to unemployment, setting up local industries and supporting agriculture. Quill described himself as a "temperate man".[28]

At a meeting in North Cork, Quill outlined what he believed the Labour Party stood for. Referring to the level of unemployment, he spoke about the "right to work" and the government's perceived failing of "humbler people" over the "well-to-do class".[29]

Refusal to stand (1932, 1933)

Quill did not contest the 1932 general election, declining at a Convention in Millstreet, Cork to stand. According to The Southern Star, it was thought Quill would be the chosen candidate, but, according to the newspaper's columnist, had "to a certain extent, lost touch with the electors of this division and he declined to accept the honour".[30] According to the Cork Examiner, having been proposed and seconded, indicated the reasons which precluded him from going forward and asked "that some other candidate [..] be proposed".[31] He declined once again in 1933 general election.[32]

1937 and 1938 general elections

As a city councillor on the Cork Corporation, Quill contested the 1937 general election[33] as one of 23 Labour candidates, receiving 14.9% of first preference votes, but was not elected. He ran again in the 1938 general election,[34] this time as one of 30 Labour candidates,[35] receiving 4,950 first preference votes (12.6%), but was once again not elected. This was to be his last general election campaign,[36] however he would remain as an elected city councillor on Cork Corporation.

County Councillor

According to A Biographical Dictionary of Cork, by Tim Cadogan and Jeremiah Falvey, Quill served as a councillor on Cork County Council for two periods. The first being 1925–1934 (initially predating his time as a TD) in the Macroom Division[1] and again in 1942–1945. As a Transport member, he was nominated and won a seat in 1925, retaining his seat in 1928 (being described as a Superintendent of Insurance) and lost the seat in 1934, before winning a seat again in 1942 and serving until 1945. An article from 1936 states that he was the Chairman of the Cork County Executive of the Labour Party.[37]

City councillor

Quill also served as a city councillor with Cork Corporation.[38][39][40] The City Councillor's 1920–1945 roll book seems to record that T Quill was elected in 1936.[41] In 1939, he is listed as a member of the Labour Party's Cork Centre Branch.[42] It has been said that the local Labour Party branch held a committee meeting every Friday night during the 1940s. There was a local election in the city almost every year from 1929 to 1936 to elect portions of the city council and others in 1942 and 1945.[43][44][41] Quill was at one time a member of the South Cork Board of Public Assistance.[2] He is still listed as a councillor in this book in 1944–1945.[45][46][41] While resident in the city he contested the local election for the Corporation, winning a seat in 1942, serving on both the Corporation and the County Council at the same time. It was during this period that he was Chair of the Liam Mellows Branch (Blarney Street) of the Party and where he proved to be an enemy of Michael O'Riordan during his time in the branch.[32]

Allegations of antisemitism

O'Riordan asserts that Quill was imposed on the Liam Mellows Branch as Chair to ensure that Labour in Cork City could control the new branch. O'Riordan also argued that the talk on the Jewish question arose following comments made by Timothy Quill on 'Jew Boys'. Gerald Goldberg was present at the talk and was so impressed by O'Riordan that he subsequently donated £5 to the branch. Quill, perhaps irritated by the talk demanded that the money be returned.

O'Riordan, in a speech to the 2001 Labour Party Conference, stated that "I was accused of attempting to 'subvert the party' with Jewish money. An investigating committee was established, presided over by a Labour TD. The complaint against me was sustained and I was expelled by the party."[47]

Following my release from the Curragh Camp and my return to Cork in 1943, I was among those who founded the Liam Mellows Branch of the Labour Party in the hope that it might become the political voice of Irish anti-fascism in this city. I was named secretary of that branch but unfortunately the chairman we were given by the Party leadership was a Cork City Councillor who would debase the name of Labour in 1944 by a vitriolic attack on what he called "the Jew boys" of Cork. It was in opposition to such anti-Semitism that I insisted on giving a public lecture under the auspices of the Liam Mellows Branch on the subject of the Jewish question. A number of prominent members of Cork's Jewish community attended that public meeting and the future Lord Mayor of Cork, Gerald Goldberg, said from the floor: "I came here to defend my people, but when I heard the lecturer I saw there was no need". But the anti-Semitic Labour Councillor did not give up. When Gerald Goldberg subsequently made a donation to branch funds I was accused of attempting to 'subvert the Party with Jewish money'. An investigating committee was established, presided over by a Labour TD. The complaint against me was sustained and I was expelled from a Party that was not prepared to support my continuing anti-fascist stand in 1944.

— Michael O'Riordan, Labour Party Annual Conference, 2001

While there is merit to this claim, it does appear to be more complex than this account. Antisemitism did exist in the city at this time and Quill was a devout Catholic. Barry Desmond in his book 'No Workers Republic' testifies to the antisemitic feeling in the city at the time. There was a strong anti-communist sentiment within Labour and the party had been constantly assailed in the city by professor Alfred O'Rahilly and many figures within the Roman Church, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The Communist Party in Eire had been disbanded but the NI party still existed. O'Riordan and Nagle attended the NI Communist Party conference in Belfast in October 1943 with four Labour members (including John De Courcey Ireland).

A report in the Irish Press suggests that the Administrative Council 'had become aware that certain persons in Cork were engaging in activities which appear to be inconsistent with their membership of the Labour Party and accordingly they appointed a subcommittee to investigate the membership and administration of the Liam Mellows Branch'.[48] This was headed up by vice-chair, TJ Murphy. They heard the complaint against O'Riordan and Nagle being present at the (NI) Communist Party conference. O'Riordan maintained that he had only attended to meet former comrades socially. Following an investigation, the committee recommended the expulsion of both and the decision was approved of by the Parliamentary Party. The two Cork members were expelled on 5 February 1944 and the 4 Dublin members in April. Both decisions were ratified by the annual conference that year. But there are no reports or minutes of O'Riordan being expelled by the party locally on the Jewish episode but it is likely that it played a role in the expulsions. Likewise, it is clear that Timothy Quill, as a theologian and Christian Socialist held strong anti-Soviet views as possibly anti-Semitic views. The perceived threat of Soviet communism was perhaps the reason that Timothy Quill was nominated as Chair of the Liam Mellows Branch. It was around this time that the IT&GWU disaffiliated from Labour and the National Labour Party and separate Trade Union Congress on the basis that Soviets were infiltrating the Labour Party.

Criticism of media

There are records of Quill's criticism of the media for their portrayal of him and the Labour cause. In a letter published in The Southern Star from June 1933, he labelled criticisms made as 'ignorant'.[49]

Retirement from electoral politics

Quill did not contest the 1950 Cork Corporation election and seemingly never stood for election again. He remained involved in the co-operative movement until 1954.[32]

Co-operative movement

During the 1920s, Quill established the City of Cork Co-operative Society with Con Desmond (father of Barry Desmond).[32] Quill was the secretary of the City of Cork Co-operative Society and manager and secretary of the Cork Co-operative Bakery Society. This included social enterprises such as Cooperative Tea, Cooperative Bread,[50][51] Cooperative Baking Powder and Cooperative Cream. He was also a member of the Cork Co-operators' Guild.[52] He was also the editor of The Cork Co-Operator,[53] a monthly publication of the co-operative movement in Cork. The paper attracted the attention of Steve Denny, the director of the London Co-operative Society (England's largest co-op society at the time). In a letter to the editor, published on the cover of the June 1939 issue, Denny described the publication as a 'bright little paper'.[54] Quill frequently attended the Co-operative Congress in the UK throughout the 1930s and 1940s.[55][56] An article from 1951 states that, inspired by Robert Owen, he built cottages for the workers on his land.[57] Quill regarded himself as a Christian Socialist.[4] He resigned his position in the co-operative movement in 1954.[12] These societies were defunct by the time of his death in 1960.[2]

Personal life

He also used an Irish language version of his name, Taig Ui Cuill, (using various spellings of his first name, including 'Taig', and 'Tadgh'), with his last name spelled as 'Ui Cuill'. Annual reports from 1924 and 1925 show him using the names 'Tadhg O'Quill', 'Tadhg Quill' and 'Tadgh Quill'. Issues of 'The Cork Co-Operator' from 1939 show his name styled as 'T. Quill'.[10][11] He married Mary McCarthy on 7 January 1930.[58]

In the 1940s, Quill lived at Ferney House in Blackrock, Cork,[59] where he grew vegetables and kept livestock. His first trial of Holstein Friesian cattle took place here. He became well known as an agriculturalist, and owned what The Southern Star described as "one of the largest and most successful herds in the country".[60][2] He was used as an example of how successful the 'Warrior' mineral mixture for livestock was in an advertisement titled 'Friesian T.T Herd Makes History' and served as the honorary secretary of the Irish Friesian Society.[5][61] His interest in farming manifested itself in a number of different ways. As well as being an active member of the Munster Agricultural Society and he wrote a farming column in The Cork Examiner. He also contributed to the farming pages of The Evening Echo under the pen name 'Carrigeen'.[2] By the 1950s he had settled at a property near Blarney, left public life and was Chair of the Blarney National Farmer's Association at the time of his death.[62][63]

The Timothy Quill Perpetual Challenge Cup for the MAS (Munster Agricultural Society) Holstein Friesian Senior Cow Class at Cork Summer Show is named after him.[64][65][66][67] He died on 10 June 1960, aged 59[68][69] and was buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery. In an obituary published on 11 June 1960, the Evening Echo described him as an "authorative writer on agricultural matters".[2]

References
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