Mick Kirwan
| Mick Kirwan | |
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| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Brisbane |
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In office 27 April 1912 – 11 June 1932 |
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| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Robert Funnell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Joseph Kirwan 26 April 1873 "Jinbah", Maryborough, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 13 February 1941 (aged 67) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Nudgee Cemetery |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Swift (m.1912 d.1945) |
| Occupation | Bootmaker, Queensland Railways employee |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael Joseph "Mick" Kirwan (26 April 1873 – 13 February 1941) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Kirwan was born at "Jinbah", Maryborough, Queensland, to parents Michael Kirwan, sugar worker, and his wife Sarah (née Costello), both of whom had originated from Tipperary, Ireland. He started his education at the local state school in Yengarie before his family moved to Brisbane and he continued his schooling at Petrie Terrace.
He started his working career as an apprentice bootmaker in 1884, and in 1907 he joined the railways as a porter. Due to his strong vocal abilities, Kirwan made a name for himself as a train-caller. As an active member of the Australian Railways Union, Kirwan found himself as one of those at the centre of the 1912 Brisbane general strike, for which he was sacked after the strike came to an end.
Kirwan's first attempt at entering Queensland Parliament came at the 1902 state election. As the Labour candidate for the seat of Logan, he was easily defeated by the sitting member,James Stodart of the Ministerialist Party by 565 votes to 239.
Ten years later, at the 1912 state election, Kirwan was nominated as the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Brisbane. He found himself up against the long serving parliamentarian, Edward Barrow Forrest, who had represented the seat since 1899. A close contest ensued, and Kirwan won by 2187 votes to 2150. Kirwan went on to hold the seat for twenty years until he was disendorsed by his party in favour of Australian Workers' Union organizer, Robert Funnell, for the 1932 state election.
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