Joseph Devlin

Irish nationalist, born in Belfast, NE Northern Ireland, UK. An Ulster Catholic constitutional nationalist politician and machine boss, he became Nationalist MP for Kilkenny North (1902–6), but then captured and retained West Belfast. After the Northern Ireland settlement of 1920, he became a member in the Stormont parliament at various times for Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Catholic Belfast.

Joseph (Joe) Devlin (1872-18 January 1934) was an influential Nationalist politician and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons at Westminster and in Northern Ireland.

Born in Hamill Street, Belfast, "Wee Joe" was a journalist with the Irish News, and a member of the UK and Northern Ireland Parliaments for many years, on the Nationalist Party, Home Rule and Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) platforms.

As Grandmaster of the sectarian lay-Catholic order, the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) which he founded in the 1890s, he was closely associated with the leaders of the Irish Parliamentary Party, primarily John Dillon MP, who fell under his spell. Devlin was a gifted organiser, boasting to Redmond that, at Redmond's bid, his organisation could provide full attendance of suitable "supporters" at any meeting, demonstration or convention throughout Ireland, something Redmond and his Party often availed of.

Members of his Order, largely composed of earlier members of the Molly Maguires, a militant secret society also known as the Mollies, became members of the Irish Party, deeply infiltrating it. Devlin took over control of William O'Brien's United Ireland League (UIL) when becoming its secretary in 1904, amalgamating it into the IPP. Sheehan MP, together with their followers took a vehement stand against Devlin's Order's involvement with the Irish Party, particularly after Devlin organised the "Baton Convention" of December 1908, silencing O'Brien and his followers.

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Devlin supported and encouraged recruiting into Redmond's Irish Brigade, telling Belfast working-class Catholics they would return as trained soldiers to fight the Ulster Volunteers.

In 1918, Devlin was elected MP for Belfast Falls in the December elections (having defeated Eamon de Valera). In the first election for the Northern Ireland House of Commons in 1921, Devlin was elected for both Antrim and Belfast West.

Devlin was re-elected in Belfast West in 1925 and sat for the four member constituency until Proportional Representation by the Single Transferable Vote was abolished for territorial constituencies and single member seats were introduced for the 1929 election.

From 1929 until his death, Joe Devlin was the Northern Ireland MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone.

An acknowledged leader of nationalists in Ulster for decades, Devlin died in Belfast in 1934. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978) Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results 1921-1972, by Sydney Elliott (Political Reference Publications 1973) British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S.