John Martin (1812-1875) was a Young Irelander who, in 1847, joined the Repeal Association alongside his childhood friend John Mitchel. Martin then helped contribute for Mitchel’s newspaper, the United Irishman, and once Mitchel was arrested and ultimately convicted, contributed to the Irish Felon alongside James Fintan Lalor and Thomas Devin Reilly. This led to him being arrested himself, and deported to Van Diemen’s Land. Returning to Ireland in 1856, he continued his involvement in Irish nationalist politics, become a tenants right organiser as well as a Home Rule MP for Meath, garnering the nickname “Honest John Martin.” Only nine days after Mitchel’s death in 1875, which reportedly left Martin grief-stricken, Martin himself died, having lived in poverty in his final years owing to his generosity in forgiving his tenants’ debts.
Writings
Speech At the Dock (1848)