tholic university of Dublin, and afterwards studied
medicine. He entered parliament in 1880 as member for Tipperary, and was
at first an ardent supporter of C. S. Parnell. In August he delivered a
speech on the Land League at Kildare which was characterized as "wicked
and cowardly" by W. E. Forster; he advocated boycotting, and was
arrested in May 1881 under the Coercion Act, and again after two months
of freedom in October. In 1883 he resigned his seat for reasons of
health, but was returned unopposed in 1885 for East Mayo, which he
continued to represent. He was one of the prime movers in the famous
"plan of campaign," which provided that the tenant should pay his rent
to the National League instead of the landlord, and in case of eviction
be supported by the general fund. Mr Dillon was compelled by the court
of queen's bench on the 14th of December 1886 to find securities for
good behaviour, but two days later he was arrested while receiving rents
on Lord Clanricarde's estates. In this instance the jury disagreed, but
in June 1888 under the provisions of the new Criminal Law Procedure Bill
he was condemned to six months' imprisonment. He was, however, released
in September, and in the spring of 1889 sailed for Australia and New
Zealand, where he collected funds for the Nationalist party. On his
return to Ireland he was again arrested, but, being allowed bail, sailed
to America, and failed to appear at the trial. He returned to Ireland by
way of Boulogne, where he and Mr W. O'Brien held long and indecisive
conferences with Parnell. They surrendered to the police in February,
and on their release from Galway gaol in July declared their opposition
to Parnell. After the expulsion of Mr T. M. Healy and others from the
Irish National Federation, Mr Dillon became the chairman (February
1896). His early friendship with Mr O'Brien gave place to considerable
hostility, but the various sections of the party were ostensibly
reconciled in 1900 under the leadership of Mr Redmond. In the autumn of
1896 he arranged a convention of the Irish race, which included 2000
delegates from various parts of the world. In 1897 Mr Dillon opposed in
the House the Address to Queen Victoria on the occasion of the Diamond
Jubilee, on the ground that her reign had not been a blessing to
Ireland, and he showed the same uncompromising attitude in 1901 when a
grant to Lord Roberts was under discussion, accusing him of
"systematized inhumanity." He was su