JUSTICE DANIEL COHALAN, 1865-1946: AMERICAN PATRIOT AND IRISH-AMERICAN NATIONALIST

This biography examines Cohalan's background, his motivations and the wider social and political forces which shaped his Irish-American nationalism and American patriotism. As a senior member of the New York based Irish-American Clan na Gael, Cohalan played a significant role in the 1916 Rising. Later, as leader of the 275,000 strong Friends of Irish Freedom, he became the spokesman for Irish-American nationalism during Ireland's war of independence. Cohalan was also a key figure in American politics. He was chief advisor to New York's Tammany Hall leader Charles F. Murphy from 1906-1913 and was a close ally of Senator William Borah in the campaign against the League of Nations. Cohalan also formed a friendship with leading figures in the Irish Free State such as Executive President William T. Cosgrave who in turn valued Cohalan's corporate and political connections. Cohalan's biography fills an important gap in Irish and American history and deepens our understanding of the phenomenon of Irish-American nationalism during a critical period in Irish and American history.