Miguel Irigaray Gorría (1850–1903) was a Spanish Carlist politician from Navarre. His career climaxed during three terms in Congreso de los Diputados, the lower chamber of the Cortes; in 1896–1898 (from Tudela), 1901–1903 (from Aoiz) and 1903 (again from Aoiz); his bids of 1886, 1891, 1893 and 1898 were unsuccessful. During his service he was recognized principally as an ardent opponent of governmental secularization policy, who in numerous parliamentarian addresses spoke in favor of the Church – especially religious orders – and who demanded that the constitutionally guaranteed religious liberty be abolished.
Family and youth
The family of Irigarayin the press from the era, in historiography and in official documents the surname of Miguel is spelled „Irigaray”, and this is the spelling adopted in Spanish prints also before 1800. However, on exceptional basis he might have been referred to as “Miguel Yrigaray”, La Epoca 19.12.95, available here. Also some Basque sites prefer the “Yrigaray” spelling for the entire branch back to the 17th century, see Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here is of Basque origin;Irigaray, [in:] Instituto de Historia Familiar service, available here in the early modern era one branch settled in southern Navarre, in the area along the Ebro known as Ribera Alta. The first Irigaray was baptized in the town of PeraltaPeralta became the Navarrese family hub of the Irigarays. However, there was another Navarrese town, Burguete, which hosted another branch of the family. Most Irigarays currently known, e.g. a well-known doctor Pablo Fermín Irigaray Goizueta or a present-day poet José Ángel Irigaray Imaz are related to Burguete and have nothing in common with Miguel Irigaray Gorría in 1620;“El primer bautizado del apellido Irigaray en Peralta lo fue en 1620 y es hijo de Betran Yrigaray”, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here six generations followed until the great-grandfather of Miguel, Juan Irigaray Cerdán (born 1740)see position 128M, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here and then his grandfather Sebastián Irigaray Alemán (born 1770) were recorded in the local parish documents; their status and social position is not clear.see position 242, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here The father of Miguel, Anselmo Irigaray Iturbide (1804–1885),Lau-buru 07.11.85, available here was also born in Peralta.see position 357M, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here, also Miguel Irigaray Gorría entry, [in:] Geneanet genealogical service, available here In the press or in historiography he was referred to as “propietario”Lau-buru 07.11.85, available here or “ganadero".José Miguel Gastón Aguas, Aproximación a los poderes locales en la Navarra liberal. El caso de Peralta y los Elorz (1841–1868), [in:] Geronimo de Uztariz 17/18 (2002), p. 148 As the owner of some 9,5 hectares near the village of Azagra he counted in-between modest landholdersthe area was not dominated by large property. The largest one, owned by the Argáiz brothers, amounted to 91,8 ha; the 10th largest landholder owned 28,1 ha, Gastón Aguas 2002, p. 146 and well-off farmers in the county.Gastón Aguas 2002, p. 146 He specialized in breeding of sheep; in the late 1850s his flock was about 900 animals.Gastón Aguas 2002, p. 159 Between the mid-1850s and the mid-1860s he served in the local ayuntamiento, and in 1866–1867 he was the alcalde of Peralta.Gastón Aguas 2002, p. 148
Anselmo married a local girl 24 years his junior, Eusebia Gorría Irigaray, descendant to a Gorría family which has been long inter-marrying with the Irigarays.she was daughter to Manuel Gorría Aregui and María Balbina Yrigaray Cenzano, also from Peralta, see position 484F, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here The couple lived on the family estate in Peralta and had 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls, born between 1849 and 1866.see positions 477 to 484, Linaje Irigaray en Peralta, [in:] Antzinako service, available here Miguel was their second oldest child and the second oldest son. In 1862 and at the age of 12 he entered Seminario Conciliar de Pamplona as a start of his religious career. He was an excellent student who gathered meritissimus marks as sort of routine; however, at unspecified time though probably in the late 1860s he resigned the ecclesiastic path, reportedly because of his poor health.La Avalancha 24.01.04, available here At the outbreak of the Third Carlist War he joined the legitimist ranks and served in Carlist administrative structures in Navarre; he is referred to as secretario of “Junta ó Diputación carlista”,LLa Avalancha 24.01.04, available here “Junta de Guerra”El Correo Español 05.12.03, available here or “Junta Gubernativa de Navarra”.Irigaray y Gorría, Miguel entry, [in:] Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra online, available here
After the Carlist defeat Irigaray opted for a career in law. Following the period of self-learning in 1877 he obtained the baccalaureate with an unspecified, probably Navarrese institution; he then moved to Madrid, passed most exams at Universidad CentralLa Avalancha 24.01.04, available here and graduated in civil and canonical law in 1878,Irigaray Gorría, Miguel entry, [in:] Archivo Histórico Nacional service, available here issued the appropriate ministerial certificate in 1879.see certificate issued by Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid service, available here In 1883 or 1884his engagement was made public in late November 1883, Lau-buru 21.11.83, available here; the wedding most likely took place during the Christmas period of 1883, but it might have occurred also later, Irigaray married María Marco Buelta, descendant to a well-known Marco family from Valle de Roncal.her mother was Urbana Buelta Juanmariñeno, El Tradicionalista 25.07.93, available here Her father, Francisco León Marco Mayo,in some sources his surname is spelled as “Marco Dayo” (see El Correo Español 20.01.93, available here) or as “Marko Maio” (see Marko3 entry, [in:] Antzinako genealogical service, available here) was a recognized notary in the mountainous town of Uztarróz.El Correo Español 20.01.93, available here Close to nothing is known about the marriage, except that it lasted at least until 1892.he was last mentioned in the press in 1892, El Correo Español 07.01.92, available here The couple settled in Peralta, but either in the late 1880sLa Avalancha 24.01.04, available here or in the early 1890sAngel García-Sanz Marcotegui, Elites económicas y políticas en la Restauración. La diversidad de las derechas navarras, [in:] Historia Contemporánea 23 (2001), p. 601 they moved to Madrid. It is neither known whether the couple had any children; contrary to the custom of the era Irigaray's obituary notes did not refer either to his wife or to any descendants. Irigaray's brother Eusebio in the early 20th century served as the mayor of Peralta.José Miguel Gastón Aguas, ¡Vivan los comunes!: movimiento comunero y sucesos corralicerios en Navarra (1896–1930), Tafalla 2010, ISBN 9788481365795, p. 203
Early public career (until 1890)
Already in 1865 Irigaray was signing various Traditionalism-flavored open letters;e.g. protesting the Spanish recognition of the Kingdom of Italy, El Pensamiento Español 29.07.65, available here as older teenager he was active in Juventud Católica.La Avalancha 24.01.04, available here Exact years of his service in the Carlist administration in the early 1870s are not clear. Once back from his academic spell in Madrid, in the late 1870s and the early 1880s Irigaray engaged in Basque cultural initiatives, and this is despite near-extinction of Basque language in the Navarrese Ribera.in the early 1880s out of 330 Navarrese members of Asociación Euskara there were only 27 from the merindad of Tudela and only 14 from the merindad of Tafalla, Joxemiel Bidador, Ribera de Navarra y euskara, siglo XX, [in:] Principe de Viana 264 (2016), p. 372 He entered Asociación Euskara and tried to animate El Arga, a four-weekly of fuerista-vasquista profile.Bidador 2016, pp. 372-373 In the mid-1880s he gained some local recognition; prior to the 1886 elections he was reported as a Carlist candidate in his native Tafalla district, but it is not clear whether he withdrew or lost.the last information available is his press declaration of firm Traditionalist identity and of hope of electoral success, see El Tradicionalista 18.11.86, available here, there is no later information either on his withdrawal or defeat In 1887 he took part in a conference, organized in the Madrid Universidad Central and dedicated to agricultural crisis. During the event he appeared as “representante del ayuntamiento de Tafalla”,El Dia 15.10.87, available here but it is not clear whether he was contracted by the Tafalla town hall or whether some time in the mid-1880s he was elected to the ayuntamiento. Irigaray lobbied on part of Navarrese wine growersEl Dia 15.10.87, available here and demanded that the government introduce measures to limit production of “alcohol industrial”, nearing imposing a state monopoly.it was noted that “el Sr. Irijjaray no encuentra más soluciones radicales que la de impedir la entrada de alcohol industrial, desarrollar la des tilación del vínico y establecerel monopolio porel Estado de este artículo” La Epoca 27.10.87, available here, also La Voz Montañesa 17.10.87, available here
The year of 1888 produced breakup in Carlist structures; supporters of Ramón Nocedal left to form their own organization and they soon became known as the Integrists. Irigaray was not listed as a protagonist of the strife. However, the Carlist Navarrese daily El Tradicionalista sided with the breakaways; the loyalists decided to launch their own periodical, named La Lealtad Navarra. Irigaray was among these who contributed to its emergence; he was later also one of the contributors to La Lealtad, directed by Alfonso Fernández Casado.Jesús María Zaratiegui Labiano, Efectos de la aplicación del sufragio universal en Navarra. Las elecciones generals de 1886 y 1891, [in:] Príncipe de Viana 57 (1996 ), p. 182 However, in the late 1880s his stay in Navarre was about to end; either in 1889La Avalancha 24.01.04, available here or in 1890García-Sanz Marcotegui 2001, p. 601 he moved his law firm to Madrid.Irigaray was admitted to Colegio de Abogados de Madrid on October 7, 1889, Expediente Personal, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid service, available here The motive quoted by historians was “razones profesionales”.García-Sanz Marcotegui 2001, p. 601 It is known that in 1890 Irigaray was the legal representative of Diputación de Navarra in Madrid, but it is not clear whether it was this particular assignment which triggered his translation to the capital;La Democracía 01.11.90, available here he later represented also the cities of Tudelae.g. he represented Tudela in 1894, El Siglo médico, vol. 42, Madrid 1895, p. 751 and Tafalla.e.g. he represented Tafalla in 1893, Jurisprudencia administrativa: colección completa de las resoluciones dictadas por el Tribunal Supremo, vol. 46, Madrid 1896, p. 529