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(Michael Comyn) He was also active in nationalist politics before 1914, including participating in the North West Manchester by-election campaign in 1908 (not 1909 as sometimes misstated), where he supported the Liberal candidate and interacted with figures like Winston Churchill and Lady Randolph Churchill.While not a legal case, this political involvement may have included public speaking at events, though exact details of speeches are scarce. His reputation grew steadily, leading to his appointment as King’s Counsel in June 1914. Can you elaborate on this?

Thought for 1m 50s

Michael Comyn (1871–1952) was an Irish barrister, nationalist, and later a politician and judge, whose early career exemplified the intersection of legal ambition and Irish nationalist activism in the pre-World War I era. Born on June 6, 1871, in Clareville, Ballyvaughan, County Clare, he was the eldest son in a family of seven children. His father, James Comyn, was a tenant farmer and secretary of the local Land League branch, instilling in him a strong sense of Irish identity amid the backdrop of land evictions and agrarian unrest—his own family was evicted in 1879 by Lord Clanricarde’s agent.

Comyn’s education was modest but rigorous: he attended local schools, including one run by Vere Ryan (father of republican Frank Ryan) and another in Ruan known for preparing students for civil service exams.

At age 19, he passed a competitive exam to become an excise officer, working in Dublin, Lancaster, and Yorkshire while studying law at University College Dublin and King’s Inns. Called to the Irish Bar in 1898, he joined the Munster Circuit in 1900, building a successful civil practice despite lacking family connections in the legal world—Clare County Council retained him as counsel.

His steady rise culminated in his appointment as King’s Counsel (KC) in June 1914, a prestigious honor reflecting his growing reputation in legal circles.

Comyn’s nationalist politics were rooted in his family’s Land League ties and the broader Irish Home Rule movement, which sought greater autonomy from British rule. Before 1914, Irish nationalists often aligned with the British Liberal Party, which under leaders like H.H. Asquith promised Home Rule legislation in exchange for electoral support from the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) led by John Redmond. This alliance was particularly evident in British constituencies with large Irish immigrant populations, such as Manchester, where Irish voters could sway outcomes. Comyn’s involvement in such cross-channel activism highlights how young Irish professionals contributed to the cause beyond Ireland’s shores.

A key example was his participation in the 1908 North West Manchester by-election, sometimes mistakenly dated to 1909 in historical accounts. This by-election, held on April 24, 1908, was triggered by Winston Churchill’s appointment as President of the Board of Trade in Asquith’s Liberal Cabinet, requiring him to seek re-election under contemporary rules.

Churchill, the Liberal incumbent since 1906, faced Conservative William Joynson-Hicks and Socialist Dan Irving. The campaign was intense: Manchester North West was a marginal seat with strong Free Trade sentiments, but issues like women’s suffrage (with suffragettes harassing Churchill), Jewish opposition to Joynson-Hicks’ support for the Aliens Act 1905, and Catholic critiques of Liberal education policies complicated matters.

Churchill ultimately lost by 429 votes (4,988 to Joynson-Hicks’ 5,417), a shock that the Daily Telegraph proclaimed with the headline “Winston Churchill is OUT! OUT! OUT!”

The defeat was attributed partly to splits in the Liberal vote and effective Conservative mobilization, though it didn’t derail Churchill’s career—he soon won a by-election in Dundee.Comyn supported the Liberal candidate, Churchill, aligning with the IPP’s strategy to bolster pro-Home Rule Liberals. Manchester’s significant Irish community made it a prime target for nationalist campaigning, and figures like Comyn were likely dispatched to rally votes through appeals to ethnic solidarity.

His interactions with Churchill and Lady Randolph Churchill (Winston’s mother, who actively campaigned for her son) occurred during this effort, possibly at rallies or strategy meetings, though specific anecdotes remain undocumented in primary sources. Lady Randolph, a charismatic American-born socialite, was a prominent fixture in the campaign, drawing crowds and leveraging her influence.

Comyn’s role may have included public speaking at events targeting Irish voters, urging them to back Liberals as a step toward Home Rule. However, as noted, exact details of his speeches are scarce—likely due to the ephemeral nature of campaign oratory and the lack of comprehensive records from the era, with most historical focus on major figures like Churchill rather than supporting activists.This political engagement was part of Comyn’s broader pre-1914 nationalist activities, which blended legal work with advocacy. While not a frontline revolutionary like later Sinn Féin figures, he represented a moderate yet committed strand of nationalism, influenced by cultural revival movements like the Gaelic League. His reputation from these years—combining courtroom successes with political networking—paved the way for his KC appointment in 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I shifted Irish politics dramatically.

Post-1914, Comyn’s nationalism intensified: during the 1916 Easter Rising, he was in the U.S. with Sinn Féin founder Arthur Griffith, and upon returning, he defended republican prisoners, marking his transition to more radical involvement.

He later became a Fianna Fáil senator (1928–1936) and Circuit Court judge, but his early career underscores how personal ambition and national aspiration intertwined in Edwardian Ireland.

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