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Life
[The Younger]; son of namesake [q.v.]; he owned the liberal Evening Herald, becoming The Sentinel a year before it closed in 1815found guilt of libel against Dublin Police, 1812, and the Viceroy Duke of Richmond, 1813 - the latter for article prob. by Denis Scully [q.v.]; in spite of defence by Daniel O’Connell regarded as his best - in which O’Connell quotes Charles O’Conor of Belanagare [q.v.] - and reprinted as The Trial of John Magee, 1813); fined and imprisoned for two years, and further prosecuted on his release, being sentence to six months; d. Dublin. DIB DIH
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Criticism
‘The Late John Magee, Editor of the Dublin Evening Post: devoted to Catholic emancipation’, in The New Irish Magazine and National Advocate (Oct. July 1822), pp. 113-29.
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Commentary
Mary Cusack, Life of the Liberator (1872 Edn.), “The Trial of Magee” [sect.], gives an account of the way in which the ‘attorney general [Saurin] was legally dissected by O’Connell in a speech ‘seasoned by a pungent commentary on British misrule’, all in a fashion which it has not often fallen to the lot of an Attorney-General to bear’, though notwithstanding the court found against Magee. (pp.405-19.)
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References
Dictionary of National Biography (under Daniel O’Connell), names John Magee, a staunch ally of O’Connell; further, Peel admits to Abbot (Cochester, Diary, ii. 471) that proceedings were initiated against Magee in order to wrest the Dublin Evening Mail, a formidable weapon, from the Catholics, in summer 1813; charged with libelling Duke of Richmond, viceroy; O’Connell acted as leading council for Magee, in a four-hour speech he ridiculed the charge, with the prior agreement of Magee, knowing they were facing a packed jury of Orangemen; O’Connell’s speech devoted to vindication of Catholic Board policy; acc. Peel, who was present, O’Connell ‘took the opportunity of uttering a libel more attrocious than that which he proposed to defend’; the court was hostile; O’Connell compressed the indignation of a lifetime into his speech; Magee appeared for judgement 27 Nov.; Attorney-General urged that his publishing in full O’Connell’s speech was an aggrevation of the original offence; O’Connell took umbrage at a reference and threatened to chastise the Attorney-Gen.; court did not distinguish between the client and his barrister, and Magee received fines of £500 and £1,000 and 2 years and 6 months imprisonment [in two terms]; Attorney-General indicated that the Catholic Board had ‘entered into a partnership with Magee but left the gaol part of the concern exclusively to him.’ &c. [Notice on O’Connell subscribed by “RD”.]
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Notes
Foul! Murder!: The judicial murder of Sir Brian Mac Felim O’Neill in anno 1574 is the subject of a speech made by by Magee (quoted under Charles O’Conor, qv.)
Release plea: An MS Note on the release of John Magee from Newgate Prison (6 Jan. 1816) is held in Pearse St. Library Dublin as Gilbert MS 271; see also an account of Magee held as MS 269. the Madden Papers in the same collection hold The Patriot: 1/4p..
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