Irish politician, born at Belfast in 1828; was elected to Parliament as a Home Ruler in 1874, and on April 22, 1875, he introduced, in contending against the Peace Preservation Bill, the tactics that became known as “obstruction,” by engaging the attention of the House for four hours in reading and commenting on the evidence taken by the Westmeath Commission. He was an active supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell. He was twice prosecuted for sedition and conspiracy, but escaped imprisonment by exiling himself in Paris for a period. He was one of the original treasurers of the Land League. He died in London on the 19th of February 1890.
