Our Presidents
Saint Patrick’s Society Presidents
The Saint Patrick’s Society was not a political organization, but was largely charitable and national in purpose., and was principally social and educational. The Society was also non-sectarian. The first President was John Donnellan, a prominent Montreal citizen.
The founding of the Saint Patrick’s Society was closely followed by the establishment of the St. Jean Baptiste Society on June 24, 1834, the St. George’s Society on December 19, 1834, the St. Andrew’s Society on February 6, 1835, and the German Society on April 21, 1835.
The Society continued as non-sectarian until 1856, under the able presidency of such men as John Donnellan, Benjamin Holmes, the Honourable Francis Hincks, Bernard Devlin, W.F. Batley, Thomas Ryan, and many others. Below is the list of men and women who have served as President throughout its history.
| John Donnellan | (1834-1835) | Councillor Leo J. McKenna | (1929-1930) | ||
| Benjamin Holmes | (1836-1838) | Hon. Mr. Justice Frederick T. Collins | (1931) | ||
| P.N. Rossiter | (1839) | J.P. Callaghan, K.C. | (1932-1933) | ||
| Benjamin Holmes | (1843) | Andrew E. Murray | (1934) | ||
| William Workman | (1844) | Judge John W. Long | (1935-1936) | ||
| Sir Francis Hincks K.C.M.G., P.C. | (1845-1848) | Alderman Owen Callary | (1937) | ||
| Thomas Ryan | (1852-1853) | James C. Laffoley | (1938-1939) | ||
| W.P. Bartley | (1854-1855) | Dr. L.P. Nelligan | (1940-1941) | ||
| Dr. Henry Howard | (1856-1857) | Judge Emmett J. McManamy | (1942-1943) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice Marcus Doherty | (1858) | Richard E. Quinn | (1944-1945) | ||
| Bernard Devlin, Q.C. | (1859) | J. Austin Murphy, Q.C. | (1947-1948) | ||
| Edward Murphy, Q.C. | (1860) | Gilbert Carroll | (1949) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice Marcus Doherty | (1861) | Edmund J. Cooney | (1950-1951) | ||
| James A. Sadlier | (1862) | Frederick O. Reynolds | (1952-1953) | ||
| Thomas McKenna | (1863-1864) | James J. Shanahan | (1954-1955) | ||
| Bernard Devlin, Q.C. | (1865-1867) | William P. Kierans | (1955-1957) | ||
| James E. Mullin | (1868) | W. Edgar Doyle | (1957-1959) | ||
| F.B. McNamee | (1869) | Dr. J. Rae Carson | (1959-1961) | ||
| Bernard Devlin, Q.C. | (1870) | James H. McMahon | (1961-1963) | ||
| Michael Donovan | (1871) | John H. Sullivan, K.C.L.J. | (1963-1965) | ||
| James Howley | (1872) | Kenneth J. McKenna | (1965-1967) | ||
| Francis Cassidy, Q.C. | (1873) | Denis F. Kindellan | (1967-1969) | ||
| Bernard Devlin, Q.C. | (1874-1877) | Joseph Dunne | (1969-1971) | ||
| P.J. Coyle | (1878) | Charles H. Wayland | (1971-1972) | ||
| F.B. McNamee | (1879-1882) | John H. Sullivan, K.C.L.J. | (1972-1973) | ||
| H.F. Bellew | (1883) | Frederick D. McCaffrey | (1973-1975) | ||
| Denis Barry | (1884-1888) | William A. Shannon | (1975-1977) | ||
| Hon. Henry J. Cloran | (1889-1890) | Richard C. Cooper | (1977-1979) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice J.J. Curran | (1891-1892) | Patrick Wickham | (1979-1981) | ||
| Hon. James McShane | (1893-1894) | Hon. Mr. Justice James T. Kennedy | (1981-1983) | ||
| Dr. James J. Guerin | (1895-1897) | Andrew W. Fogarty | (1983-1985) | ||
| Dr. E.J.C. Kennedy | (1898-1899) | William H. Wilson | (1985-1987) | ||
| W.E. Doran | (1900) | Edward W. Tinmouth | (1987-1989) | ||
| The Rt. Hon. Charles J. Doherty, K.C. | (1902-1903) | Donald W. McNaughton | (1989-1991) | ||
| Dr. E.J. Devlin | (1904) | Dr. Gus Ó Gormáin | (1991-1993) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice Frank J. Curran | (1905-1906) | Dr. Michael Kenneally | (1993-1996) | ||
| W.P. Kearney | (1907-1908) | Brian O’Neill | (1996-1998) | ||
| Henry J. Kavanaugh, K.C. | (1909-1910) | Lynn Lonergan Doyle | (1998-2000) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice J.C. Walsh | (1911) | J. Peter Shea | (2000-2002) | ||
| Dr. Walter G. Kennedy | (1913-1914) | Dr. Patrick Dunn | (2002-2004) | ||
| E. McG. Quirk | (1915) | Dr. John Little | (2004-2006) | ||
| G.H. Semple | (1916) | Mary McDaid | (2006-2008) | ||
| M.A. Phelan, K.C. | (1917) | Alistair O’Hara | (2008-2010) | ||
| Hon. John T. Hackett, K.C. | (1918) | Patrick M. Shea | (2010-2012) | ||
| Hon. Mr. Justice John D. Purcell | (1919) | Paul Dunne | (2012-2014) | ||
| Wm. M. Weir | (1920) | James Killin | (2014-2016) | ||
| Dr. F. J. Hackett | (1921-1922) | Scott Phelan | (2016-2018) | ||
| Dr. E.J.C. Kennedy | (1923-1924) | Christie Brown | (2018-2020) | ||
| Andrew E. Murray | (1925) | Ken Quinn | (2020-2022) | ||
| Dr. E. J. Mullally | (1926-1927) | Pamela McGovern | (2022-2024) | ||
| Dr. F. J. Hackett | (1928) | Carol McCormick | (2024- ) | ||