ohn Dillon (1851-1927) was born in Dublin, the son of the nationalist John Blake Dillon. After qualifying as a surgeon, he switched his attention to politics and became a strong Parnell supporter in the Land League. He was elected as MP for Tipperary in 1880, and five years later moved to represent East Mayo - a seat he held for over thirty years until his defeat by de Valera in 1918. He led the anti-Parnellite faction in the Irish Parliamentary Party after the O'Shea divorce case but was instrumental in ensuring Redmond's accession to the leadership of 'the reunited party in 1900.