Denis Gorey

Denis Gorey
Gorey c. 1931
Teachta Dála
In office July 1937 – 20 February 1940
Constituency	Kilkenny
In office November 1927 – January 1933
In office June 1922 – September 1927
Constituency	Carlow–Kilkenny
Leader of the Farmers' Party
In office 1922–1927
Succeeded by	Patrick Baxter
Personal details
Born	(1874-05-25)25 May 1874
Died	20 February 1940(1940-02-20) (aged 65)
Political party	Farmers' Party Cumann na nGaedheal Fine Gael

Denis John Gorey (25 May 1874 – 20 February 1940) was an Irish politician who served for nearly twenty years as Teachta Dála (TD), first as leader of the Farmers' Party, then for Cumann na nGaedheal, and finally for Fine Gael.^[1]

Gorey was first elected to the 3rd Dáil at the 1922 general election for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency, taking his seat as leader of the Farmers' Party, which won seven seats.^[2]

He was re-elected at the 1923 general election, leading the Farmers' Party to a new high of 15 seats in the 4th Dáil.^[3] However, with the anti-Treaty TDs abstaining from Dáil Éireann, the party remained in opposition to the Cumann na nGaedheal government of W. T. Cosgrave.

Gorey left the Farmers' Party and fought the June 1927 general election as a Cumann na nGaedheal candidate, winning election to the 5th Dáil. He lost his seat at the September 1927 general election. However, he was re-elected at the by-election on 3 November 1927 after W. T. Cosgrave, who had been elected both for Carlow–Kilkenny and Cork Borough, chose to represent Cork Borough.

At the 1932 general election, he was re-elected with a share of the first-preference vote below 6%, relying on transfers for other candidates to reach the quota as the last of five TDs to be elected.^[4] He lost his seat again at the 1933 general election, but was returned at the 1937 general election to the 9th Dáil, for the new Kilkenny constituency, where he was returned again at the 1938 general election.

After his death on 20 February 1940 at the age of 65, no by-election was held for his seat, which remained vacant until the 1943 general election.

It is time for us to become Jewmen, because the day is approaching when the Jewmen will replace this race if we do not buckle to...I shall make the same remark addressing you. It looks as if the Jewmen are going to replace this race if this race is to go down in idleness."

— Denis Gorey, Dáil Éireann debate, 2 May 1923^[5]

It does not matter whether he is a Jewman or not. If we want to live in this country, and if we are not to be replaced absolutely by Jews, if we do not want to be driven out to starve and leave the country and allow it to become a Jewish colony, we ought to get down to work.

— Denis Gorey, Dáil Éireann debate, 6 May 1924^[6]

I have heard the Minister's explanation about old clothing, that it was going to be put up for auction. I suggest that this old clothing should be disposed of in the different towns where it happens to be found. It would save expense, and would give an opportunity to the local people, who have as much claim as Dublin has to it, to procure this material that might be very useful to the inhabitants. I believe it used to be the custom to sell it in one heap, and that the Jews are the people who get hold of it. It is said that one big Jew, who has been identified with army matters for some years, gets it. His name has been mentioned freely as the man who derives all the benefit with regard to this class of thing and some other classes of things. We have someone else to cater for in this country besides Jews. I suggest this clothing should be sold at the different Army depôts down the country, where it accumulates, and that it should not be brought up here and sold in one big heap to a big Jew.

— Denis Gorey, Dáil Éireann debate, 20 May 1925^[7]