James Gervé Conroy

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James Gervé Conroy and Elizabeth Catherine Theresa Mary Ó Néill

James Gervé Conroy (April 12, 1836 – January 28, 1915) was an Irish-born lawyer, judge and political figure in Newfoundland. He represented Ferryland on the Irish Shore in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1874 to 1880 as an Anti-Confederated, in the second term as an anti-confederated Liberal; he helped lead the opposition to William Vallance Whiteway's administration.^[1]

Early life[]

The second son of Lucas Malachi Conry and Sarah Garvey, daughter of James Garvey, Esq., he was born at Frenchpark, and family lore is that his "people's place" was Raheen (his son Charles O'Neill Conroy named his property on Bonaventure Street in St. John's), but his grandfather Francis Conry was listed in the Tithe Applotments holding a farm across two adjacent townlands at Runnacocka and Lisaphillip West. All these localities were near Elphin, County Roscommon in the direction of Belanagare, the home of the O'Conor Don of his day. It is possible that the larger area was then called Raheen, however Runnacocka/Lisaphillip West are in an area now known as The Tartan.

Regardless, the father and grandfather of Francis, Patrick and John, were found at Runnabull in 1792 when they were listed among gentlemen who attended a meeting of Catholics published in newspapers of the time, chaired by their relative, Denis O'Conor Don.

John was listed at Kilmacumsy, in the Census of Elphin, 1749, as an antiquarian who composed the Irish language pedigree of Captain Con Modera O'Neill, of the Second Siege of Aughrim; it was translated into English by Mr. Patrick Kinan. John's mother was Anne, daughter of Cathal Oge O'Conor Don, and Peadair O'Maolchonaire, an author of a poem in the Leabhar Cloinne Aodha Buidhe and numerous poems praising Tadgh O'Roddy, Coarb of Fenagh. Peadair was the son of Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire.

He had an older brother John. His father, Luke, was the son of Francis Conry and Brigid Dympsey; a John Dempsey held a farm adjacent to his across the same townlands as Francis in the Tithe Applotments.

James "Garvey" Conroy was a first cousin of Cecilia O'Beirne, whose mother was Anne Garvey, sister of Sarah, and who was herself the mother of ; Stiofán "An Bairéadeacht" was the treasurer of the Gaelic League and guarantor of Patrick Pearse's schools. His children included Ciarán Bairéad and Sighla, whose godfather was Patrick Pearse.

Letters between James Gervé's grandson James O'Neill Conroy, eldest son of Charles O'Neill Conroy and president of the St. John's Benevolent Irish Society and Matthew Barrett, a manager with the Bank of Ireland and An Bairéadeacht's brother, now in the possession of Rian O'Maolchonaire, show a correspondence was kept up between the two families until 1930, and happily recall the smiling face of a young James Gervé Conroy on a painting at the Barrett family home of Meelick House near Drumsna.^[tone]

Luke Conry and Sarah Garvey were married in Aughrim, likely the site of the home of James Garvey and his three daughters; the third married a Dr. Greene from Wesport in Sligo. His wife Elizabeth O'Neill's parents' home at 33/34 Blessington Street in Dublin where she grew up was coincidentally on the same block as those at 54/55 put up by Stiofán Bairéad as a guarantee for Patrick Pearse's schools ; which he nearly lost after the Easter Rising but for an American benefactor.

Luke Conry was the Director of the Strokestown Classical Academy, and was listed in the notice of James's graduation as "Luke Malachi Conry, Esq., M.L., late, of Clonskea, in the county of Roscommon" in the Irish Legal Times and Barristers and Solicitors Journal; perhaps this is an anglicisation, of sorts, of Cluain na hOidche.

From 1863-1867 he studied and then, after scoring 9th out of 209 students in the United Kingdom on his matriculation exams, taught Latin, Greek, French, and literature at Carlow Lay College of St. Patrick's University, preparing students for the London University BA program, where he, not taking up his Holy Orders, studied law. He had taken some of his schooling in his earlier incarnation as a Father informally in Paris. Conroy was called to the Irish and English bars, his admission to the Irish bar was sponsored by William Woodlock, an associate of Daniel O'Connell, and whose son Bartholomew Woodlock was later Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise.

Marriage and later life[]

In 1870, Conroy married Elizabeth Catherine Mary Theresa O'Neill of the O'Neills of the Feeva, the only child of Charles Henry (Cáthal Ainrí) Ó Néill, a Dublin barrister and The O'Neill of Clanaboy, and his wife Margaret O'Grady, who are buried in O'Connell Circle at Glasnevin E39.^[2] She was the last of several generations of O'Neills to be born at Drumderg House (aka Feeva House) in The Feeva near Toomebridge, representing the line of the last Tanist of Clanaboy, Con mac Brian Ó Néill. They had one son, Charles O'Neill Conroy, born in Dublin, himself later a lawyer and businessman, and educator of the future speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly William J. Higgins in law.

In 1872, they came to Newfoundland, where he taught school for a time at Saint Bonaventure's College in St. John's. Later that year, Conroy was called to the Newfoundland bar and formed a partnership with John Hoyles Boone. He was founder and editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper the Terra Nova Advocate. Conroy retired from politics in 1880 and was named a stipendiary magistrate and a judge in the court for the Central District. He served on the bench until his death in Montreal at the age of 78 while receiving medical treatment there. Conroy was buried in St. John's.

References[]