QUIGLEY, JAMES

County surveyor for Co. Meath, 1907-1923. James Quigley, a son of Richard and Alice Quigley, (née Ward), was born circa 1869 at Killacoona, near Clones, Co. Monaghan.(1) Originally destined for the priesthood, he attended St Macartan's Seminary, Monaghan, and St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, the latter apparently after a considerable interval in which he had worked for an oil company in Liverpool , joined and deserted from the French Foreign Legion, and taught in a Liverpool school.  He was over thirty when he eventually obtained an engineering diploma from Queen's College, Galway, circa 1904. He was an assistant county surveyor in Co. Monaghan for three years before his appointment as county surveyor for Co Meath in November 1907,(2) following the retirement of JOSEPH HENRY MOORE JOSEPH HENRY MOORE . While he was in Meath he became involved with the National Volunteers.   In June 1916, following the Easter Rising, he appeared before a court martial, accused of 'conveying information to a number of persons who were taking part in an armed rebellion'. He had been seen on his motor bicycle on the road near the constabulary at Ashbourne, where the rebels killed or wounded several policemen and had also been seen 'communicating' with the rebels. In his defence it was stated that he was a supporter of the National Volunteers but had never expressed any sympathy with Sinn Fein. He was found not guilty and released.(3) He was, however, interned by the army in December 1920, remaining in captivity for about a year.  He had not long returned to his post in co. Meath, when, in  following the establishment of the Free State Government, he was appointed chief roads engineer in the Ministy of Local Government, regraded as chief engineering inspector in 1928.   As such he attended the sixth International Road Congress at Washington in 1930.(4)   From July 1931 his duties were taken over by NICHOLAS O'DWYER NICHOLAS O'DWYER , but in July 1932 he resumed them.   He retired on 30 September 1934.   His pupils and assistants included JOHN RORKE. JOHN RORKE.

Quigley died on 23 October 1941 and was buried at Killeevan, Co. Monaghan, where his brother was parish priest.(5) He was married to Linda, née Heyns, whom he had met in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, in 1911, and had four sons, two of whom, James and Paul, were also engineers.

ICEI: elected associate member, 4 December 1907;(6) member, 1926;(7) reads paper, 'Road making in the USA and in Ireland', 13 April 1931.(8)

Addresses:(9) Work: 65 Merrion Square, <=1925->=1940.
Home: Annalore, Clones, Co. Monaghan, 1907;(10) 79 Leinster Road, Rathmines, <=1925 until death..

See BIBLIOGRAPHY. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

All information in this entry not otherwise referenced is from Brendan O'Donoghue, The Irish County Surveyors 1834-1944 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007), 281-285, which gives the fullest account of Quigley's career, and a family history on http://homepage.eircom.net/~lindaohdsl/d0002/g0000046.html#I1714. 

(1) O'Donoghue gives his place of birth as Newbliss, Co. Monaghan.
(2) IB 49, 7 Sep 1907, 634.
(3) Building News110, 14 Jun 1916, 588. A report of the court martial is in Irish Times, 8 Jun 1916) (information from Brendan O'Donoghue, 2015).
(4) See note 8, below.
(5) Irish Times, 14 Oct 1941 (B.O'D.).
(6) TICEI 34 (1907-8), ?.
(7) TICEI lists of members.
(8) TICEI 57 (1930-1931), 192-228.
(9) From Thom's directories unless otherwise stated.
(10) IB 49, 16 Nov 1907, 806.