James Dolan (Irish politician)

James Nicholas Dolan (16 October 1884 – 14 July 1955) was an Irish politician and TD for County Leitrim constituencies from 1918 to 1937.[1]

Dolan was born in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, the son of John Dolan, merchant, and Bridget Fitzpatrick.[2]

A Sinn Féin activist, and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, he was interned in Frongoch internment camp after the 1916 Easter Rising.[3]

He was first elected as Sinn Féin MP at the 1918 general election for Leitrim.[3] At the 1921 general election, he was elected unopposed as a TD for the Leitrim–Roscommon North constituency, and subsequently went on to support the Anglo-Irish Treaty. At the 1922 general election, he was again elected unopposed for Leitrim–Roscommon North. At the 1923 general election, he was elected for the Leitrim–Sligo constituency.

Dolan joined the government of W. T. Cosgrave as Parliamentary Secretary to the President (Government Chief Whip) in 1924. He served in that post until 1927. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1927 to 1932. Dolan lost his Dáil seat at the 1932 general election.[4] He regained his seat in 1933 but lost it again in 1937 when he fought the election as an independent candidate. He subsequently retired from politics.

He was a brother of Charles Dolan, Irish Parliamentary Party MP for North Leitrim from 1906 to 1908, who resigned his seat to run as the first ever Sinn Féin parliamentary candidate.[5]