Author: Sheil, Richard Lalor
Biography:
SHEIL, Richard Lalor (1791-1851: DIB)
His name at birth was Richard Sheil; he added Lalor after his second marriage in 1830. Sheil is remembered primarily as a politician but his literary works belong to his earlier years. He was the eldest son of Catherine (McCarthy) and Edward Sheil and was born at Drumdowney, Co. Kilkenny. He was tutored at home by a French priest before attending a Jesuit school in London, Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, and Trinity College Dublin. He graduated BA in 1881, spent two terms at Lincoln’s Inn, and was called to the Irish bar in 1814. While slowly developing his legal practice and in need of supplementary income after his father’s business reversals, he began writing plays, the most successful of which was Evadne. A famous Irish actress, Eliza O’Neill, acted in many of his plays and helped to ensure their popularity. (Two later plays, Montoni of 1820 and The Huguenot of 1822, were not successful and printed copies have not been located.) In early 1816 he married Marian Matilda O’Halloran of Waterford but in January 1822 she died of child-bed fever after giving birth to a son, Richard Sheil. At about this time Sheil began writing vignettes of lawyers for the New Monthly Magazine; these were later collected and published as Sketches Legal and Political (1855). He also became closely involved in the campaign for Catholic emancipation, working with Daniel O’Connell to establish the Catholic Association in 1823 and supporting him in his bid to become an MP (which helped to ensure the Catholic Relief Bill of 1829). His 1830 marriage to a wealthy widow, Anastasia (Lalor) Power ensured he had the financial backing to pursue his own parliamentary career. He took his seat successively for Milbourne Port (Dorset), Louth, Tipperary, and, from 1841, Dungarvan. Although he never believed that repeal of the Act of Union was possible, he played an active and important role in Irish political life. He also held a succession of government appointments, including judge advocate and master of the mint (1846-50). His son died in 1845 at Madeira where Sheil had taken him for his health. By 1850 he wanted to retire from politics and Lord John Russell appointed him British minister at the court of Tuscany. He and Anastasia travelled there and he took up his post before dying of a severe attack of gout. His body was brought to Ireland for interment in Tipperary. Other publications include his speeches. (DIB 25 Sept. 2020; ODNB 25 Sept. 2020; ancestry.co.uk 25 Sept. 2020; W. Torrens McCullagh, Memoirs of the Right Honourable Richard Lalor Sheil [1855]) SR
Other Names:
- R. Sheil
- Richard Sheil
- Richard Shiel