Michael Fanning was born in Clondoty near Thurles to William (Billy) Fanning and Catherine Fogarty on 15 Jan 1866.
He and his brothers Ned, Patrick and Joe went to Dublin and started businesses there as wine merchants. Joe and Michael stayed and Ned came back to Co Tipperary and bought Shanbally House near Moycarky.
Being a merchant Michael appears in various directories, as do his brothers.
Another of Michael’s brothers, James Joseph Fanning, born 1869, went to Liverpool where he was a victualler. He married Ellen Wills from Newry Co Down and they had four children only one of whom survived infancy. Ellen was a newsagent. He is buried in Liverpool Ford Cemetery. His death is also inscribed in Loughmore Cemetery one of the Fanning gravestones. He died in 1912 aged 43. In his will he left his widow 472 pounds the equivalent in today’s money of 45,000 pounds.
In 1901 and 1925 Michael lived at 19 Lincoln Place Dublin. Joe, a publican, was listed as residing at 1 Russell St Mountjoy Dublin.
He carried on a business as grocer and vintner at 19 Lincoln Place Dublin for many years. He was for a period chairman of the Licensed Vintners’ Association and was for many years a member of the South Dublin Union Board.
Michael married his cousin Margaret Ryan on 10 June 1901.
He was elected to the Senate in 1925 and served until 1936.
Below is an old picture of the premises in Lincoln Place. Not sure when it was taken or who is out the front, Michael most likely.
In 1921 19 Lincoln Place was put up for sale.
The premises is up for sale in 2009 and below is part of the advertising material.
An O’Connor descendant was told by a great aunt that Lincoln’s Inn was often filled with poets like Yeats and playwrights and politicians and that the members of the new Dial would often adjourn to Fannings for drinks and lively discussions. She also said Michael was know as “God Almighty Fanning” due to his penchant for beginning sentences with “God Almighty”.
He died in 1950 in Co Kildare at his daughter’s at Mylerstown House, Naas, and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin. Michael Fanning died in June 1950.
Honor Fanning, Michael’s daughter, married Andrew O’Connor.
The following reports details the ancestry of Michael Fanning back to William and Sarah Fannin of Lissaroon Co Tipperary Ireland and also his descendants.
Nice to read a bit of my connected family history (through the O’Connors). I was told once by an elderly O’Connor grand-aunt that Sen. Fanning was known as ‘God Almighty Fanning’ because of his penchant for starting every sentence with ‘Well God Almighty …’ She also mentioned that the home in Lincoln Place was often filled with poets, playwrights and politicians such as Yeats and that members of the new Dail would adjourn down the street to Fanning’s parlour for drinks and more lively discussions.
Thanks Gaye for adding this most interesting information about Sen Michael Fanning. I remember reading somewhere in an old Irish newspaper a mention of Oliver Gogarty being at Michael’s pub in Lincoln Place. Fascinating. I googled Gogarty and Lincoln’s Inn and have added a piece from an article with Fanning and Gogarty at the Inn.
If you look at this post ” Landgrabbing, Billy Fanning Clondoty” there are photos of Michael’s parents and an audio of a radio program about a land dispute involving Billy Fanning Michael’s father. After this the Fanning family was said to have been ostracized and no one wanted to marry into this Fanning family.