Thomas Joseph O'Connell (21 November 1882 – 22 June 1969) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from 1927 to 1932. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1922 to 1932. He was a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 1938 to 1944, 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1957.
Background
Thomas Joseph O'Connell was born near Knock, County Mayo, the second child of Maria Biesty and Thomas Connell. His father was a farmer who was politically active and a community leader. Family lore held that his father had been a Fenian who had taken part in the Fenian Rising of 1867. He was also an activist in the Land League and a member of the United Irish League (UIL). One of Thomas's aunts, Mary O'Connell, had been one of the first witnesses of the Marian Apparition at Knock in 1879. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this may have influenced the fact that Thomas was a devout Catholic throughout his life. and eventually, the rule was dropped. The campaign was hailed as a great victory for the INTO and women teachers in Ireland. In Mayo, O'Connell relied on the support of Teachers, migrant workers on Achill Island who were reckoned to better understand what a labour party stood for than other parts of Ireland, and the support of the area around his family's homeland of South Mayo: Bekan, Knock and Ballyhaunis.
A critical blunder for O'Connell and the Labour Party occurred during the 5th Dáil. In August 1927, Fianna Fáil decided to enter the Dáil and it gave its support to the Labour Party's motion of no confidence in the Cumann na nGaedheal government. The plan was to replace it with a Labour-National League Party coalition supported by Fianna Fáil, with Labour leader Thomas Johnson as President of the Executive Council. O'Connell was envisioned to be the new Minister for Education. The Cumann na nGaedheal government still had the backing of the Farmers' Party and most of the Independent TDs. When the vote was taken, John Jinks, a National League TD, failed to attend; another, Vincent Rice, crossed the floor to Cumann na nGaedheal. O'Connell himself was also missing, as he was away in Canada attending a conference on behalf of the INTO. The vote of no-confidence was a tie, and thus Ceann Comhairle used his casting vote in favour of the government. A rare chance in Irish history to place a labour led coalition in government was missed. Given the magnitude of such a fundamental vote, O'Connell felt he was forced to expel the two TDs from the party for their actions.
Later political life
He lost his seat at the 1932 election, did not contest the 1933 general election, and in 1941 he was elected to the 3rd Seanad.