Séan T. O'Kelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh
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| 2nd President of Ireland | |
| In office 25 June 1945 – 24 June 1959 |
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| Preceded by | Dubhghlas de hÍde |
| Succeeded by | Éamon de Valera |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouses | (1) Mary Kate Ryan (d) (2) Phyllis O'Kelly |
| Profession | politician |
Seán Thomas O'Kelly (Irish: Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh; 25 August 1882 – 23 November 1966) was the second President of Ireland. He was like the head of state for Ireland. He served two terms, which means he was President for 14 years, from 1945 to 1959. Before becoming President, he was a member of Dáil Éireann, which is Ireland's parliament, from 1918. During that time, he was also a government minister, looking after things like local councils and the country's money. He was also the first Tánaiste, which is like a deputy prime minister, from 1937 to 1945.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Seán O'Kelly was born in Dublin, on Capel Street. When he was 16, in 1898, he started working at the National Library of Ireland. In the same year, he joined the Gaelic League, a group that wanted to keep the Irish language and culture alive. He became an important member of this group.
Joining Sinn Féin
In 1905, O'Kelly joined Sinn Féin, a political party. At that time, Sinn Féin wanted Ireland to have its own government, but still be connected to Britain. O'Kelly was a secretary for the party for many years. In 1906, he was elected to the Dublin Corporation, which was Dublin's city council, and he stayed on the council until 1924.
Pádraig Pearse, an important leader, asked O'Kelly to help him prepare for the Easter Rising in 1916. This was a big event where Irish rebels tried to gain independence from British rule.
After the Easter Rising, O'Kelly was put in jail several times. He even managed to escape from a jail in the UK and came back to Ireland.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 1918, O'Kelly was elected as a Sinn Féin Member of Parliament (MP) for College Green in Dublin. But instead of going to the British Parliament in London, he and other Sinn Féin MPs decided to set up their own Irish parliament in Dublin, called Dáil Éireann. O'Kelly was the first Ceann Comhairle, or Chairman, of this new Dáil.
He also went to the Paris Peace Conference after World War One to represent the new Irish Republic. However, other countries did not recognize Ireland as an independent country yet, so they did not let him speak.
Working with Éamon de Valera
O'Kelly was a very close friend of Éamon de Valera, another important Irish leader. Both of them were against the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. This treaty created the Irish Free State but kept it connected to the British Empire, which many people did not like.
When de Valera resigned as President in 1922, O'Kelly tried to convince him to come back. During the Irish Civil War, which happened because of the treaty, O'Kelly was in jail until 1923. After that, he spent two years in the United States, working as an envoy for Sinn Féin.
Founding Fianna Fáil
In 1926, de Valera left Sinn Féin to start a new party called Fianna Fáil. O'Kelly joined him and became one of the party's first members. When de Valera became the leader of the Irish Free State in 1932, he made O'Kelly the Minister for Local Government.
O'Kelly sometimes caused trouble with the Governor-General of the Irish Free State, who was the King's representative in Ireland. He would do things that made the Governor-General look bad. This caused problems and made de Valera look a bit foolish. Eventually, a new Governor-General was chosen, but it wasn't O'Kelly.
Becoming President of Ireland
In 1938, many people thought O'Kelly would become the first President of Ireland under the new Irish constitution. However, another person, Dubhghlas de hÍde, was chosen instead because everyone agreed he was the best person to unite the country. O'Kelly then became the Minister for Finance and helped create the Central Bank in 1942.
Outside the GPO, President Ó Ceallaigh receives the salute from the new Garda recruits during the Tostal celebrations of 1954.
O'Kelly finally became President of Ireland in 1945. He won the election by a popular vote, meaning the people of Ireland voted for him.
He was re-elected in 1952 without anyone running against him. During his second term, he visited many countries in Europe and even spoke to the United States Congress in 1959. He finished his time as President in 1959 and was replaced by his old friend, Éamon de Valera.
As President, O'Kelly had the power to ask the Supreme Court if new laws were legal. He thought about doing this for one law, the Health Bill of 1947, but decided not to.
His Catholic Beliefs
O'Kelly was a very religious Roman Catholic. Sometimes, his strong beliefs caused issues. For example, his first official trip after Ireland became a Republic in 1949 was to the Vatican to meet Pope Pius XII. During this visit, O'Kelly accidentally shared some of the Pope's private thoughts about communism. This upset both the Pope and Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. Because of this, he didn't receive a special award from the Pope that other Catholic leaders often got.
After Retirement
When Seán T. O'Kelly retired in 1959, even newspapers that usually disagreed with him called him a "model President." People saw him as an honest person, even if he sometimes said things without thinking.
He passed away on November 23, 1966, at the age of 84. This was 50 years after the Easter Rising, which was when he first became well-known. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
O'Kelly was married twice. His first wife was Mary Kate Ryan, and they were married from 1918 until she died in 1934. In 1936, he married her sister, Phyllis. His wife's family was very involved in Irish politics; another sister was married to Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy, and a brother was a Fianna Fáil minister, James Ryan.
Images for kids
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Seán T. O'Kelly
