English: Good morning all. Today we have a portrait of a Member of Parliament, apparently originating as a commission for "Mc Redmond News" with a date "between 1901 to 1954". Given the MP suffix we can likely discount the higher end of the range(?) I must admit that I have not heard of him before, but I do not hail from Waterford, and would not be too familiar with local history. The papers in the hand are an interesting prop for a lawmaker.

Based on today's typically fantastic contributions, we (read "I") learned that this is James Delahunty MP (1808-1885). He was a railway-man, local politician and alderman, member of the Irish Liberal Party, later member of the Home Rule Party, was "generally liked in the House [of Commons]", and a seemingly genial sort. It's also clear that this portrait was most likely a later copy of an earlier image. And the "Mc.Redmond" who commissioned it was (as suggested by ofarrl) quite probably actually MR. Redmond of the Waterford News....

Photographer: A. H. Poole

Collection: Poole Photographic Studio, Waterford

Date: Catalogue range c.1901-1954. Though evidently a later copy of 19th century original (subject died 1885)

NLI Ref: POOLEWP 0879

You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie