Sir Boyle Roche
| Sir Boyle Roche, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Member, Irish House of Commons | |
|
In office 1775–1801 |
|
| Preceded by | James Agar |
| Constituency |
Tralee Gowran Portarlington Old Leighlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1736 County Galway |
| Died | 5 June 1807 Dublin |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Frankland |
| Residence | Dublin |
| Religion | Anglican |
Sir Boyle Roche, 1st Baronet (October 1736 – 5 June 1807) was an Irish politician. After a distinguished career in North America with the British Army, Roche became a member of the Irish House of Commons in 1775, generally acting in support of the viceregal government. He is better remembered for the language of his speeches than his politics—they were riddled with mixed metaphors ("Mr Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I'll nip him in the bud"), malapropisms and other unfortunate turns of phrase ("Why we should put ourselves out of our way to do anything for posterity, for what has posterity ever done for us?"). Roche may have been Richard Brinsley Sheridan's model for Mrs Malaprop. While arguing for a bill, Roche once said, "It would surely be better, Mr. Speaker, to give up not only a part, but, if necessary, even the whole, of our constitution, to preserve the remainder!"
While these Irish bulls have led many writers to portray Roche as a buffoon, other biographers have interpreted them not as blunders, but as calculated attempts to disarm opposition to ministerial policies through humour. Roche ended his political career with the passage of the Act of Union 1800, which he supported. He chose not to attempt to enter the British House of Commons and retired on a government pension until his death, married but childless, in 1807.
Boyle Roche was born, the youngest of three sons, to Jordan Roche and Ellen White in County Galway in 1736. His was an old and respectable Protestant family, said to be a junior branch of the ancient baronial house of Roche, Viscount Fermoy from which Diana, Princess of Wales, descended. The family were also no strangers to politics: Roche's great-grandfather had been elected mayor of Limerick four times. Roche's older brother was Tiger Roche, a celebrated duellist and adventurer.
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