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This
article is an effort to give a glimpse of a remarkable
man who more than anybody else in living memory left an
indelible mark on Killarney’s historical pages and set a
pace in business, political and Gaelic Athletic
Association affairs which as yet has not been equalled
in our town.
Eugene O’Sullivan was born near the village of Firies
in the year 1875. He had two brothers John Marcus and
Tadhg and one sister Nora. He came to work in Killarney
to his cousin Michael T O’Sullivan who owned the
Emporium at the corner of Main Street and Plunkett
street. Here he served out his time as a drapers clerk
and this tall and extensively active youth quickly
proved his tremendous ability in every phase of the life
of the famous tourist resort.
Eugene O’Sullivan was a unique man, with a great
presence, a brilliant mind, orator and debater with a
gift for the pen, which he used very much during his
time and these attributes were just what a young Dr.
Crokes club and a young association needed.
Joining the Dr. Crokes in the 1890s as a playing member
he captained the great club team which won the 1901
Kerry senior football county championship and up to 1905
was a regular member. He played with and captained the
Kerry team 1902-1904 and was also a regular member of
the Killarney hurling team.
In
1903 he was elected chairman of the Kerry Co. Board and
under his guidance for the next five years the Co. Board
was very active and the Kerry footballers broke through
for national recognition. It is interesting to note that
in 1904 while chairman of the Co. Board, representative
to Central and Munster council and playing with Dr.
Crokes, he was opposed on the Listowel team by T.F
O’Sullivan (secretary of the Co. Board and also a
delegate to Central Council and Munster Council.) Eugene
kept an interest in the G.A.A. right up to his death in
1942. He was vice-president and then president of the
Dr. Croke club. He was chairman of the Fitzgerald
Memorial committee which brought to fruition the
erection of the stadium to the memory of the great Dick
Fitzgerald. When this Croke built arena was honoured to
host the 1937 All-Ireland Hurling Final –Tipperary
versus Cork, he managed to persuade the Head Office of
C.I.E. to erect a temporary platform just a hundred
yards from the stadium to make it easy for the big
number of patrons that attended on the day. The remains
of this unique venture is still there, just bordering
the new Dr. Croke complex.
Addressing the 1940 Dr. Croke A.G.M. he appealed to some
players who seemed to think matches are won at meeting
rooms, to get out on the field and train hard. His
commitment to the G.A.A. and the Gaelic League and all
things national was total and it was reported in the
Killarney Echo, February 8th, 1906 that he
distinguished himself in the North of Ireland organizing
on behalf of the United Irish League and the Land and
Labour Association. In the Kerry Sentinel April 28th
1903 the following appeared - “The Kerry artiste, Mr.
Eugene O’Sullivan , President of Kerry Co. Board G. A.
A. and Miss Mary Gregan received an enthusiastic welcome
at the Keating's concert held in the Rotunda, Dublin.”
He was an accomplished Irish step dancer and his forte
was the stick dance.
POLITICIAN AND LEADER
Eugene’s natural ability as leader of people led him to
other fields and entering the political arena he was
appointed M.P. in 1907 (O’Sullivan and Murphy era which
I will leave to one better then myself to chronicle).
A
lifelong member of the Killarney Urban District Council
of which he was chairman for many years, he headed the
poll at election after election as an Independent
Candidate. He could be seen regularly meeting with
dignitaries and visitors It must have given him great
pride to arrange a civic reception for all those
All-Ireland winning teams and what satisfaction he must
have felt in 1925, when the Killarney U.D.C. sent Dick
Fitzgerald and himself, two former captains, to
represent Killarney at a civic reception in Tralee.
HOUSING FOR THE WORKING
CLASSES
One
of his great achievements while a member of the Urban
Council was the adoption by the Government of his
suggestion for the building of houses for the working
classes and a scheme of rent payment which would ensure
the eventual ownership of the houses to its tenant. It
is interesting to note the acclaim which a similar
scheme received 60 years later when it was suggested by
Margaret Thatcher prior to a general election and
contributed greatly to her re-election, according to the
press.
Saturday, August 1st 1925 (the Kerryman)
“In these columns we have referred to many matters to do
with Eugene O’Sullivans suggestion, regarding the scheme
of houses for the working classes. Now we know that the
Minister has embodied Eugene’s scheme in a circular
which he had addressed to all U.D.C. and Corporations
which was a fine tribute to our able and brainy
chairman. Thanks to Eugene for this great idea, which
is undeniable a social revolution which will benefit and
make the working man independent. We regard this as the
greatest solution of the housing question which
accomplishes in such a short time, that which town
tenants league, etc, have failed to accomplish in
generations for those who did not heed or may have
inadvertently thrown it in the waste paper basket of
their minds, the proposals are these;
1.
The Government
should advance loans to U.D.C. tenants, to enable them
to purchase their houses on loan, to be repaid by the
tenants on the principle of the Land Purchase act.
2.
The Government as an
alternative to enlist the help of banks to make advances
at reasonable rates of interest. The outstanding
advantages which we claim the proposal will have, is
that it will go far to solving the housing problem in
urban areas by help of providing private instead of
public funds
It would provide a certain
volume of continuous employment for both skilled and
unskilled labourers. It would make the working man owner
of his own house, making him a better citizen and make
for stability in industry, and stabilize the state
Government They need no further elaboration.
THE ARBUTUS LOGO
Early
in his career he became chairman of the Board of
Directors of the Killarney Mineral Water Manufacturing
Co. Ltd. and while managing director he guided it into a
very large and successful company, giving much needed
employment in Killarney when jobs were few and far
between. Having a deep interest in botany he adopted the
Arbutus Brand soft drinks ‘from the pure crystal waters
of the Punch Bowl’.
He
was a powerful oarsman and rowed stroke for the Loch
Lein (afterwards the Commercial club) and the gun and
rod had in him an enthusiastic
devotee.
He
was a handsome man and a great favourite with the ladies
but he never married. Eugene O’Sullivan, one of
Killarney’s most illustrious sons died in his apartment
in the Imperial Hotel, College Street in 1942 – a tragic
loss to his town.
He was
more then a man and a name, he was an epoch in himself.
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