Nemesis of O’Connell
Presented by
Frank Cogan
John Doherty (1785-1850), otherwise known as “Long Jack” or “The Butcher of Borrisokane,” was the owner of Seamount, now known as St Helen’s Radisson Hotel, from 1830 to 1840.
A lawyer, poet and raconteur, he became a member of the Westminster parliament as a young man and skilfully parlayed his political contacts into getting himself appointed Solicitor-General of Ireland in 1827.
In 1829 he achieved notoriety as the chief prosecutor in the famous Doneraile Conspiracy case but was thwarted by the dramatic intervention of Daniel O’Connell. The courtroom clash became the basis of a mutual hatred. Doherty was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1830 and he survived to preside at the prosecution of the Young Ireland leaders. He died suddenly in Wales in 1850.
It was said he lost all his money in railway shares – but did he?
Frank Cogan, a retired diplomat and local historian, is a Committee member of the MMHS and a Board member of the James Joyce Tower CLG. He has written a book and several published articles on the local history of Dublin and his ancestral Co Meath.
8.00pm, Thursday 1st May, 2025
Fitzwilliam Rooms
Mount Merrion Community Centre