Family and Education

b. ?1765, 1st s. of John Keily of Janeville. m. (?1800) Margaret, da. of John Bagwell I*, at least 2s. suc. fa. c.1806.

Offices Held

Sheriff, co. Waterford 1819-20.

Ensign 35 Ft. 1780, lt. (half-pay) 1787; lt. 80 Ft. 1794; capt. Tipperary militia 1803-6.

Biography

Keily, whose surname appears as Kiely on his return to Parliament, was son-in-law of the Member for Tipperary, who informed the Castle in 1801 that he meant to bring Keily into Parliament to support them.1 If this was really intended, it was doubtless shelved for the benefit of one of Bagwell’s sons. Nor did he contest Dungarvan, where he inherited an interest. When he came in for Clonmel in 1819, it was as a family stopgap, his brother-in-law William Bagwell having vacated the seat to come in for the county.

As anticipated, Keily supported government,2 voting with them against Tierney’s censure motion, 18 May 1819, though like many Irish Members he had been in the minority in favour of Catholic relief and likewise against the Irish window tax two weeks before. He is not known to have spoken in the House. He was not returned in 1820, when another brother-in-law of William Bagwell’s came in. Keily’s residence at Strancally was designed by the Pain brothers on a lavish scale; it took a brisk walk of 4½ minutes to reach the dining room from the kitchen.3 Keily was still alive in 1837 and has been provisionally identified with J. Keily esq. who died at Somerville, New Ross 3 Dec. 1843, aged 78.4

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: P. J. Jupp

Notes

• 1. Add. 35781, f. 25.
• 2. Add. 40298, f. 8.
• 3. B. de Breffney and R. Ffolliott, The Houses of Ireland (1975), 193-4.
• 4. Gent. Mag. (1844), i. 110.