Irish "Home Rule League" Election Campaigns c1871-72 paper grocery bags and tea bags used by Edward Duggan (d.1898) - grocer, publican, pig trader, political activist -  at his shop 43 & 44 Ballybricken, Waterford City, Co.Waterford, Ireland Edward Duggan produced grocery & tea bags for use at his shop, the bags in a variety of colours printed with a variety of designs, many Irish nationalist in character. Some bags carry a "Home Rule" slogan with portraits of successful Home Rule Party candidates elected to parliament at Westminster in 1871 or 1872. It appears doubtful that the bags were used during the 1871-72 period - MPs were elected for Waterford City in 1869 and 1870 were Liberals and none of the men illustrated on the bags was a candidate for Waterford City or County. The bags may have been introduced as promotional material during the election campaigns of Richard Power and Purcell O'Gorman, who in 1874 were returned as Home Rule MPs for Waterford City, but is uncertain.

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John Martin (1812-1875), veteran of the 1848 Young Ireland rising, elected "Home Rule" MP for Co.Meath 17-Jan-1871.

Isaac Butt QC (1813-1879), founder of the party, in 1871 re-elected Home Rule MP for Co.Youghal.

"The late Mr Duggan was for nearly fifty years prominently identified with the pig buyers' interest in Waterford, and up to a late period of his life identified himself with all that related to political, municipal and social affairs in the city...     ...He was intimately associated with the establishment of the Association Rooms of the Ballybricken Pig-Buyers Association, and he was more than remotely connected with the designing and building of that famous citadel wherein good men and true do congregate."

"The Home Rulers contested by-elections from May 1870, when Major Laurence Knox stood unsuccessfully for Mallow, County Cork. The first Home Rule victory was secured in January 1871 in County Meath with the return of the veteran Young Irelander John Martin. A wave of similar by-election successes followed in 1871-2: Galway, Westmeath, Limerick City (where Butt himself was returned), Kerry, Wexford and Cork City all fell to advocates of the cause. Within three years, by the general election of February 1874, fifty-nine supporters (or, in many cases, nominal supporters) had been returned under the federalist banner."

 

 

 

Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett M.P. (b.22-Jul-1850 Kells, Co.Kerry; d.7-Apr-1913 Monte Carlo) was Politican, Barrister-at-Law and Magistrate.

One of a group of ascendancy protestants who became active supporters of Isaac Butt's "Home Rule" party, in 1871 aged 22 years he stood as Home Rule party candidate to represent the county of Kerry at Westminster. A young and popular candidate in a controversial election, about which many stories are told, he was elected 6-Feb-1872. Re-elected in 1880, he served as Home Rule M.P. until 1885 when he contested the N.E. Division of Manchester as a Liberal but was defeated.

 

Confusingly, during the parliament of 1880-1885 Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett served as Home Rule M.P. for Co.Kerry alongside Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, Bart. M.P. (b.1839 d.1909), who had been Liberal M.P. for Co.Galway 1865-1874 before becoming Home Rule M.P. for Co.Kerry 1880-1885. In 1885 he contested the Harbour Division of Dublin but was defeated.