# James Nowlan

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For the political figure in New Brunswick, Canada, see [James William Nowlan](/source/James_William_Nowlan).

'*James Nowlan**(1862[citation needed] – June 1924) was [president of the Gaelic Athletic Association](/source/President_of_the_Gaelic_Athletic_Association) (GAA) from 1901 to 1921 and is the longest serving president of that organisation. He was also a [Sinn Féin](/source/Sinn_F%C3%A9in) representative and member of the [Gaelic League](/source/Gaelic_League).[citation needed] In 2009, he was named in the*****[Sunday Tribune](/source/Sunday_Tribune)**s list of the *125 Most Influential People In GAA History*.[1]

## Early life

Nowlan was born in [Monasterevin](/source/Monasterevin),[citation needed] [County Kildare](/source/County_Kildare) in 1862 and is listed in the local church as being baptised at Cowpasture, Monasterevin on 25 May 1862. His father, Patrick Nowlan, was an early member of the [Irish Republican Brotherhood](/source/Irish_Republican_Brotherhood) (IRB) and friend of [James Stephens](/source/James_Stephens_(Fenian)).[2] Patrick Nowlan was a [cooper](/source/Cooper_(profession)) from [Kilkenny city](/source/Kilkenny) and possibly moved from there to work at Cassidy's Whiskey in Monasterevin.[3][1] James Nowlan also trained as a cooper.[4][5]

## Career

Nowlan was a member of *[Conradh na Gaeilge](/source/Conradh_na_Gaeilge)*, a lifelong supporter of the [Irish language](/source/Irish_language) revival movement and a supporter of [Sinn Féin](/source/Sinn_F%C3%A9in) from its foundation in 1905. In 1898, he was elected an [alderman](/source/Alderman) of [Kilkenny](/source/Kilkenny) Corporation.[citation needed] He used his time in this position to help promote the GAA, which had been set up 14 years prior and was a relatively new organisation at the time.[citation needed]

In 1900, he became the first chairman of the [Leinster Council](/source/Leinster_GAA) of the GAA. He was elected president of the GAA nationally at the 1901 Congress held in September of that year.[citation needed] He would hold that position for twenty years - making him the longest serving president.[4] During his time in office, he attempted to steer the organisation on a more [republican](/source/Irish_republicanism) path.[citation needed]

Following the [Easter Rising](/source/Easter_Rising), Nowlan was arrested by the British authorities in May 1916 and interned at the [Frongoch internment camp](/source/Frongoch_internment_camp) in [Wales](/source/Wales).[citation needed] In August of that year, he was released and continued with his GAA and Sinn Féin duties.[citation needed] He publicly voiced support for the [IRA](/source/Irish_Republican_Army_(1919%E2%80%931922)) during the [Irish War of Independence](/source/Irish_War_of_Independence).[citation needed] At the 1921 Congress, held in March of that year, Nowlan retired as GAA president, and was appointed *Honorary Life President* of the association — the only person to be so honoured.[citation needed]

## Death and legacy

Nowlan died in June 1924 in his mid-70s.[citation needed] [Nowlan Park](/source/Nowlan_Park), the GAA stadium in his native [Kilkenny](/source/Kilkenny), was renamed in his honour three years later.[citation needed] He was buried in Glasnevin cemetery. There was no headstone on his grave until 2013 when the GAA erected a Celtic cross.[6] In September 2016 the GAA unveiled a new trophy named The James Nowlan Cup to be presented to the All-Ireland under-21 hurling champions.[7]

## References

1. Enda McEvoy; Kieran Shannon; Dave Hannigan (4 January 2009). ["125 Most Influential People In GAA History"](http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/jan/04/125-most-influential-people-in-gaa-history-100-76/). *[Sunday Tribune](/source/Sunday_Tribune)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090809020609/http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/jan/04/125-most-influential-people-in-gaa-history-100-76/) 9 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 January 2009.

1. Jim Walsh (2013). *James Nowlan - The Alderman and the GAA in His Time*. Independent Publishing Network. ISBN 978-1-78280-199-3.

1. ["James Nowlan - who was he?"](http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/sport/gaelic-games/james-nowlan-who-was-he-1-5740380). Kilkenny People. 13 December 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150105175521/http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/sport/gaelic-games/james-nowlan-who-was-he-1-5740380) 5 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 January 2015.

1. ["GAA History > GAA Presidents"](http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/gaa-presidents/). Official GAA Website. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120503201547/http://gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/gaa-presidents/) 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 January 2015.

1. ["Household Return (Form A) - Residents of a house 2 in Troysgate (East) (Kilkenny Urban No. 2, Kilkenny)"](http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kilkenny/Kilkenny_Urban_No__2/Troysgate__East_/527887/). National Archives of Ireland. 1911. Listed as: Nowlan James, aged 47, Male, cooper by trade, relation to head of the house hold as Brother, religion listed as Roman Catholic.

1. ["Irish Press Releases - The Unveiling of the Headstone of Alderman James Nowlan GAA President 1901 to 1921"](http://www.press.ie/The-Unveiling-of-the-Headstone-of-Alderman-James-Nowlan-GAA-President-1901-to-1921.htm). Press.ie. 2013-07-18. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140327023106/http://www.press.ie/The-Unveiling-of-the-Headstone-of-Alderman-James-Nowlan-GAA-President-1901-to-1921.htm) 2014-03-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-08-28.

1. ["New All-Ireland U21HC trophy unveiled"](https://www.hoganstand.com/article/index/260627). *www.hoganstand.com*. Hogan Stand. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2020.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Nowlan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nowlan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nowlan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.