Thomas P. O'Neill Jnr., who was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1976 - 1987 has his roots firmly entrenched in Mallow. Mr. O'Neill's great great grandparents, Daniel O'Connell and Catherine Quinlan, were married in Mallow on 16th August 1797. After her husband's death, in the 1820s, Catherine emigrated to America with some of her children. She remained there for about 50 years. In her 100th year she returned to her native Mallow, where she died at the great age of 103 years, in or about the year 1870. She was buried next to her husband, Daniel, who had died 50 years earlier.

Joanna Connell - daughter of Daniel and Catherine, married John O'Neill in St. Mary's Church on October 30th 1822. Mr. O'Neill's great-grandparents marriage was entered in the register of the parish where it can still be seen today. They lived at Gallows Lane, which was at the east end of the town close to Mallow Castle. Some of the children of this marriage were baptized in Mallow. The record of their son Patrick's baptism has not been found, but it is known that he was born in Mallow in 1832.

Patrick married Julia Fox, who was born in Mallow in 1839. Around 1845 Patrick, together with his brothers Michael and John, left for the United States to work with the New England Brick Co. They worked as labourers in the Brickyards and this was very tough physical work. Patrick and Julia's son, Thomas P. O'Neill, married Rose Anne Tolan. They had three children, the youngest being Thomas 'Tip', born 9th December 1912 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Boston College in 1936 with a B.A. degree. 'Tip' married Mildred Anne Miller on 17th June 1941. They had five children. Formerly engaged in the insurance business, he began his political career in 1936 when he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served until 1952. During his tenure in the Massachusetts legislature he served as Minority Leader (1947 - 1948) and was elected as the first Democratic Speaker of the Massachusetts House in 1948. In 1952 he was elected to the 83rd Congress, succeeding the late President John F. Kennedy. Mr. O'Neill represented the 8th District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 consecutive terms.

First appointed House Majority Whip in 1971, he served in that capacity during the 92nd Congress. In 1973 he was elected House Majority Leader, this position he held until he was elected Speaker in 1977. Speaker O'Neill had received 18 honorary degrees from various colleges throughout the country and had been presented with numerous Community Service Awards. In October 1986 he retired as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In 1987 Mr. O'Neill visited Mallow, the town of his ancestors. He was awarded a Civic Reception. This reception was conducted on the front lawn of the beautiful Castle in Mallow. During the Cork 800-year celebrations he was conferred with the Freedom of Cork. Mr. O'Neill was very proud of his Mallow Ancestors, as are indeed the people of Mallow proud to call him a Mallow man.

Sadly Mr. O'Neill died on 6th January 1994. He was buried on Monday, January 10th, in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Harwichport, Cape Cod, following his Requiem Mass, which was celebrated at the Catholic Church of St. John the Evangelist in his native Cambridge. On the 5th July 1994 the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the late Tip O'Neill, was honoured by the unveiling of a plaque in his ancestral town of Mallow. Mallow Town Council Chairman, Senator Joe Sherlock, unveiled the plaque in the Spa Park in the company of the late Mr. O'Neill's daughter, Rosemary and the American Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith.